US consulate in Algeria receives 10 complaints against fake US immigration website per day
US embassy in Algeria warned against fake immigration advertisements on the Internet. Consular Section receives about ten complaints everyday from Algerians cheated by unreal companies offering their immigration services, Consular Section chief said.
- Jennifer. M. Noisette told Echorouk the number of victims is on the rise. Procedures of immigration to the US are done in the Consular Section in the embassy only. The Green Card annual draw is conducted on the US Lottery official website only.
- All the companies which present themselves as mediators between applicants and the US immigration program have no official licence. Some of them do not have any headoffice and can not be controlled.
- John Brown, Information Official at the Consular Section said there is a need for awareness-raising measures through media. People receive an e-mail offering immigration to the US and getting a job and a house. The receiver has to send his application and transmit $800 via Western Union. Many reply and send the money as it is a small sum compared to expected new life in the US.
- Applicants are told that they will enjoy all the rights as American citizens and they will find help to integrate rapidly in the US society. They will benefit from a1-year- health insurance, a rent house in their favourite city for three months and other temptations. At the end of the letter, the e-mail asks victims to pay $822 to get visa. If applicants are accompanied by their families, they will have to pay the same sum for each member and there is no reduction for children.
- On the other hand, a large number of US immigration applicants counterfeit documents to get the Green Card. Section in charge of countering counterfeiting in the US consulate detected several counterfeiting attempts in 2010. Some of the applicants were foreigners living in Algeria.
- In September, five attempts to submit fake Baccalaureate certificates in Algeria and Europe were detected. Counterfeiting networks are operating in Europe in return for huge sums in hard currency. Those fake certificates were detected and suspects admitted their acts. They were introduced to Algerian competent security forces to prosecute them for counterfeiting Algerian official documents.
- According to the US consulate in Algeria, another type of US immigration fake offers. It is marriage for immigration. Some men get married with women who were selected by the immigration program. They do that to get visa and permanent residence in the US in return for money or travel and residence fees. The consulate reported that several girls of academic level got married with men who do not have the same educational level but they have money and relatives in the US.
- Foreigners were also involved in counterfeiting. The consulate has recently detected an attempt by a foreign student living in Algeria to present a fake Baccalaureate certificate to apply for the Green Card. Local authorities were notified as part of cooperation between the US and Algeria to take the necessary measures against him.
- According to the US consul, cooperation, expertise and information exchange between the two countries are very important and necessary to fight this phenomenon, protect borders and security in Algeria and the US.