Munirul-Haq Raza | News Editor
Featured image: Is it a scam? | Basma Elbahnasawy
Rakshitha Dheenadhayalan, a fourth-year Economics Major and international student, recently claimed to have been the victim of fraud involving a fake immigration official.
On November 23, 2017, Dheenadhayalan says she received a phone call from an individual who claimed his name was Jim Rosen, who claimed to be from the Immigration department.
“York is deeply concerned for our student community following the recent spate of fraud targeting international students in Toronto, and we are monitoring the situation,” says Diana Ning, associate director at York International.
“We would like to remind our students that a government agency would never contact international students by telephone to demand immediate payment.”
Rosen then claimed to have an arrest warrant for Dheenadhayalan, and informed that she should cooperate and not involve anyone else, or else she would face arrest and deportation.
She then spoke to another man allegedly named David Anderson, who claimed to be the manager. He told her to expect a call from the police. A few minutes later, she got a call from someone claiming to be from the police department, who she alleges told her to pay $3,000 for a lawyer.
Doing as she was told by Anderson, Dheenadhayalan then made a series of wire transfers via Western Union and iTunes gift cards. She was told to make more payments to the Ontario Court of Justice via iTunes, and to wait at home for the local authorities to sign the relevant paperwork to close the case.
However, when she returned to her home, Dheenadhayalan received another call from Anderson, telling her because it was the evening, she would have to wait until the next day for the authorities.
The following day, Dheenadhayalan alleges she was told that her case was approved, but in order for the Supreme Court to release documentation, she was told she must pay the remaining $2,000—$1,200 through Western Union and $800 via iTunes. As the hours passed, nobody arrived to her home with the paperwork. She tried to call Anderson, but the call did not go through.
Fearing that something was wrong, Dheenadhayalan googled the Immigration website and realized there were numerous warnings about scams. Following her shock, Dheenadhayalan filed a report with 31 Division (at 41 Norfinch Drive) the following day.
“I provided the police with all the details; which included the receipts, showing all the payments that were made. The police mentioned that the chances of getting the money back are very low; however, they will try their best to track the individual,” adds Dheenadhayalan.
Maijura Ra, also a fourth-year Economics student, says: “Hundreds of people continue to be affected by various fraud cases. It is unfortunate that it is the most vulnerable whom are targeted (seniors, students, international students, et cetera).”
“We would like to urge international students to stay connected to the campus community, by visiting the York International Student Office, meeting student leaders and counsellors, and learning about services available to students, both on- and off-campus,” Ning says.
“Students are also asked to be cautious about protecting their personal information and not make hasty decisions but instead, reach out to university support staff for advice.”
Rares Pateanu, an Information Technology (IT) professor at York, says: “As someone who has spent over 35 years in progressively more senior roles in IT, I am deeply aware of the enormous change IT has brought into our lives. Unfortunately, as my student Rakshitha Dheenadhayalan has recently experienced, not all those changes are positive.”
“In my courses, I often emphasize how important it is for all of us to be aware of the potential pitfalls of technology, and to be ever so vigilant in defending ourselves against the many fraudulent activities perpetrated on people by unscrupulous use of technology,” he adds.
“I think it is a very important topic that still does not have sufficient exposure, particularly in the student population. Students often think they are too savvy regarding technology matters to be taken in by fraudsters.”
Ra says: “Many stories do not become publicized due to privacy concerns. However, I believe it should be mandatory to share such stories in order to bring out awareness.
“This could have happened to anyone.”
With files from Rakshitha Dheenadhayalan
