Alert: More and more scammers appear on the horizon!
As more people turn to online services for various needs, there has been a rise in scammers pretending to be experts or advisors, especially in the immigration field. These scammers use sophisticated tactics to gain the trust of unsuspecting victims and then exploit them for financial gain.
Scammers, pretending to be Posolstvo.eu’s agents
We at Posoltsvo have recently discovered several scammers disguising themselves as our agents and decided to inform our readers in order to protect them from harm.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at this issue and discuss how you can protect yourself.
The Problem
Scammers posing as advisors or experts online are a growing problem. They often use fake credentials or websites to make themselves appear legitimate. They can also create a character that appears to be from one of the trusted sources of information or service. More often than not, they use social engineering tactics, such as giving fake information to victims and promising guarantees, to gain their trust. Once they have gained trust, they may ask for money or sensitive information. They can go as far as to attempt installing malware on the victim’s computer to encrypt and ransom his data.
Recently, we have noticed scammers that started to illegally use our name and good reputation. Their goal is to scam people online by pretending to be one of our agents and giving false guarantees and cheap offers. We at Posoltsvo know that guaranteeing the success of any procedure for 100% is simply and factually impossible! Citizenship and work visa acquisition processes are anything but cheap. We urge you not to believe anyone telling you otherwise. Such a person either knows nothing of the procedures or is actively trying to scam you.
The Consequences
The consequences of falling for a scam like this can be devastating. Victims may lose money, sensitive personal information, or even face identity fraud. In some cases, scammers may also use the information they gather to commit further fraud, such as opening new credit accounts in the victim’s name, in turn tanking the victim’s credit score and making him undergo years of investigation to prove his innocence.
It is important to also realize that virtually all scams involve the necessity for the applicant to sign certain legal declarations. These declarations, as you can guess, contain false information (ie confirming that all submitted documents are legitimate). Such false declaration, as per the Bulgarian Penal Code, are punishable by jail sentence of up-to 3 years. Definitely not a good perspective to start a new life in the EU.
How to Protect Yourself
There are several steps you can take to protect yourself from scammers posing as advisors or experts. Here are a few:
Do your research
Before working with anyone claiming to be an advisor or expert, do your own research. Check their credentials, read reviews, and search for any red flags. Posoltsvo.eu does claim to be an expert in its field. You can read hundreds of articles, written by our employees, on various topics regarding immigration. Such amount of legal articles is self-explanatory and shows the level of professionalism of the authors. Does the “expert” you come across or contacted by provide you with such information for free? If yes, with which credentials?
Don’t give out personal information
Never give out critical personal information, such as your Passport photocopies, to anyone you don’t know or trust. Your information can be used to commit fraud that will take years of your life to unveil. A reputable advisor will make sure that information regarding your case will be received but also makes sure that you do not give them critical information before needing it explicitly. Reputable advisers such as Posoltsvo.eu do not make money from selling or using your information to commit fraud.
Be sure before making a payment
If you do decide to work with someone, be sure you are talking with the real person. If a person or company’s publicly available email address is different from whatever address you have received a mail from, its always a good idea to double-check with the publicly available email address to make sure you are not being scammed. Never make a payment before being sure and do not trust people that push you toward making payments quickly.
Keep your computer secure
Be cautious when clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. Scammers may try to send you files you need to download for “procedures”, “forms” or just plain “programs”. Downloading them or running them may cause your device to get infected. Always check which E-mail address the mail is using and double-check with a publicly available email address of the company if anything seems to be weird.
Trust your instincts
If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Tens of millions of people would have been in Bulgaria already if it was as easy and cheap as it’s claimed by the scammers. That’s not the case though. There is no easy or cheap way for anyone to get an EU residency, working visa or citizenship. The only possible way is the tried and trusted law-abiding approach with no corners being cut. If someone claims he can do something behind the curtains in your favor, for money, you are face to face with a scammer. And when they give you 100% guarantee, be sure that you are talking to a scammer again. If you have any doubts or concerns, trust your instincts and don’t make stupid moves. Don’t forget that you might even face jail time if you try to falsify documents. The only 100% guarantee we give our clients is that you will fail if you submit false/fake documents.
In conclusion, scammers posing as advisors or experts are a growing problem that can have serious consequences. By following the tips above, you can help protect yourself and avoid falling victim to these types of scams. Please contact us if you would like to work with a real business with real experts.