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Scammers issuing fake fines to international students

Madeleine McCarty

Tue Feb 05 2013

SCAM ALERT

SCAMMERS have been posing as Australian immigration department officials to con international students into paying them “fines”. Madeleine McCarty reports.

scam alert 2

International students in Australia are being issued fake fines by scammers impersonating Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) officials.

The DIAC says a number of students have been sent “official notices” informing them they have breached student visa conditions by  allegedly working more than 40 hours a fortnight.

The scammers, posing as department officials, told these students they were required to transfer thousands of dollars offshore as “penalty payments”.

The DIAC told Meld Magazine there were 307,000 student visa holders in Australia as of July 2012 who could be potential victims of this scam.

“Anyone contacted by people seeking such payments should refuse to pay, and should report the incident to police”, a DIAC spokesman says.

You can also contact the Immigration Dob-In Line on 1800 009 623.

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