The Residence Workplace has condemned scammers who “cruelly try” to trick individuals by pretending they may help them go to Rwanda in change for a £3,000 authorities fee.
The reported rip-off is the newest blow to authorities plans to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda.
The principle scheme entails forcibly sending some asylum seekers to Rwanda who arrive within the UK through irregular means similar to small boats.
On Tuesday information of a second Rwanda scheme was reported within the Occasions and later introduced by authorities. This one is a voluntary returns programme for refused asylum seekers. The Residence Workplace is providing £3,000 incentive funds to encourage this group to go to Rwanda. Asylum seekers who began to obtain calls from Residence Workplace officers on Tuesday asking them to go to Rwanda had been left in a state of panic with some saying they thought they’d no selection however to get on a aircraft.
On Friday there was an extra improvement suggesting that the brand new voluntary Rwanda scheme is being focused by fraudsters. In a extremely uncommon transfer, Migrant Assist, the charity that runs a free helpline for asylum seekers on behalf of the Residence Workplace, issued a tweet saying: “It has come to our consideration that quite a few fraudulent calls purporting to be from Migrant Assist have been made to our purchasers pretending to supply them voluntary return to Rwanda. The calls are made on a quantity which is withheld by the caller. Please remember that these are NOT from our organisation and are fraudulent.”
An immigration lawyer Sonia Lenegan raised issues in regards to the reported rip-off.
She posted on X after Migrant Assist’s assertion emerged: “All of the extra want for this to be executed in writing and never over the telephone.” She added: “Additionally how have they received these telephone numbers?”
The voluntary Rwanda scheme has obtained condemnation from Conservative MPs on the precise of the celebration, together with the previous immigration minister Robert Jenrick, and from immigration legal professionals, who’ve raised issues in regards to the scheme.
Tom Nunn, the authorized director of the South Yorkshire Refugee Legislation and Justice charity, whose refused asylum seeker shopper obtained a real name from the Residence Workplace earlier this week asking if he wished to go to Rwanda, mentioned: “We’ve already had quite a few purchasers calling us in a panic and we’ve got needed to reassure those who it’s voluntary.”
Nunn mentioned he was involved about these with psychological well being points being precipitated misery by the telephone calls.
Jenrick wrote on X: “Symbolic flights of individuals being paid to go away isn’t a method to cease the boats and finish this nationwide safety emergency. If the reviews are correct, these voluntary returns would eat Rwanda’s finite assets, and so really make the swift, enforced elimination of small boat arrivals which might be required to determine the supposed deterrent impact a lot tougher.”
A Residence Workplace spokesperson mentioned: “We condemn within the strongest phrases anybody cruelly trying to defraud people primarily based on our voluntary returns scheme. People won’t often be contacted from withheld numbers. These wishing to discover the Rwandan voluntary returns scheme can be issued with related paperwork and are suggested to take authorized recommendation.”