What should the Government of Canada do about this ? ?

Question

In some countries, criminals are using the lure of " Jobs in Canada " to rip off innocent people, who think that the crooks can get them into Canada. This has created a really negative image of our country, and I think that the Canadian Government should do two things.

Place ads in local papers in counties like the Philippines, to make it clear how our immigration system works, and second, work with the Police in those countries to prosecute the scammers . Surely we owe it to our own reputation, internationally, and morally, to cut this off at the source of the problem.

Your ideas, and suggestions about this growing problem ?

Jim B. Toronto.

Answer 1

Why should the Canadian government spend money on forien law enforcement?

Answer 2

I don't know.  It's not just Canada, it's also jobs in Australia, the USA and many other places.

I think it's not up to Canada to correct it, it's up to the buyer to beware of scams.  There was a guy on the immigration website who was in India, he had been offered to buy a 2 year work visa in Canada for $7000.  He was going to do it, he had already sent his passport to Ghana and was trying to figure out how to send the money.  He refused to believe it when 10 different people on there told him it was a scam.

Sure you can spend money on ads in the papers in India and the Philippines and many other countries but the scammers are placing ads too.  People believe what they want and it's way nicer to believe that you can buy a work permit somewhere than when somebody is telling them that they need years of education to have a chance and years of processing ahead to be approved.

Answer 3

Hi Jim -- I was surpsied to see that you had posted a question.  It seems to me you normally give answers :)

I really don't know what to suggest because I can see both sides of the issue.  On one hand, it's not our fault if people get duped by unethical companies that are clearly not Canadian in any way.  On the other hand, it is our reputation that is being harmed as a result.

Perhaps this is something that Canadians could lobby the International Labour Organization to get involved with?

There was recently a question from some poor guy who had accepted an offer from a Canadian Hotelier -- the problem was the website he was given was a complete spoof (and a bad one at that -- full of spelling mistakes, etc).

Alot of these scams are through websites, so perhaps there is some way of getting the sites shut down.  Perhaps people should have to have clean "online record" in order to be eligible to have a website.  Get caught spamming, hacking, spoofing, phishing, etc?  Then perhaps you should not be allowed to have a website for x number of years until it clears your record.  Drunks get their license taken away, child molesters aren't allowed to work with children, etc.  The internet was created to be entirely free (in the democratic sense, not the monetary sense) -- perhaps that decision needs to be retooled?  I would not like if people on the internet were censored, but I would support them being blocked from doing things that are illegal.

When you grow up trusting people it is very difficult to discover that someone has lied, or been malicious.  I feel terrible for the people that are conned online.  I report phishing/spoofing anytime I come across it, but I am only one person -- and I can only report it.  I have to depend on the person I am reporting it to to do the right thing.

Answer 4

Well, like it or not, it appears we have an election in the offing. Take it to your Member of Parliament and make it an issue in the election. Go to the opposition as well. Talk it up in your riding with other voters - there is strength in numbers, especially at election time. Letters to the editor can work for you too. And while you are at it maybe put a burr under one of their saddles to get them to do proper follow ups with the immigrants they have already let in promising them employment that goes with their education but not following through so that PHD's end up waiting tables and M.D.s driving cabs.

Our government is not without fault as it is. I really do not think they will get off their overpaid, under worked butts to do anything. But I sure do hope I am wrong!

As for the police helping prosecutors in other countries - that is not their mandate although they do co-operate with many foreign policing agents already in other areas.