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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

'Preying on the vulnerable': Hopeful students speak out over alleged visa scam

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Aspiring students in Australia allege they were defrauded by Future Care Consultants, a company that promised assistance with studying abroad and visa applications.
  • Clients claim they paid thousands for fraudulent advice, with agents failing to lodge applications correctly, leading to rejections and lost funds.
  • Future Care denies acting as a migration agent, stating they refer students to independent registered agents, but evidence suggests their staff assisted with visa processes, and a key individual, Omer Bin Rasheed, was advertised by the company despite its claims of no association.

Aspiring university students seeking to study in Australia have come forward with allegations of being victims of a visa scam orchestrated by Future Care Consultants. The company advertised itself as providing "experienced education and migration agents," luring students with promises of seamless study abroad experiences.

experienced education and migration agents

— Future Care ConsultantsThe company's advertised claim regarding its services.

Clients report paying thousands of dollars for fraudulent advice, with assigned agents allegedly mishandling their student visa applications. These failures, reportedly due to non-payment of application fees by the agents, have resulted in rejected applications and significant financial losses for the students. Some clients claim Future Care "disowned" the agent involved and stated the matter was between the students and the agent, despite the company's alleged involvement.

does not itself provide migration advice or act as a registered migration agent

— Future Care ConsultantsThe company's clarification regarding its role in migration services.

Future Care Consultants has stated that it operates as an education consultancy and does not provide migration advice directly, nor does it act as a registered migration agent. The company claims that when migration assistance is needed, students are referred to independent, registered migration agents. However, email exchanges shared with the ABC indicate that Future Care staff did assist with visa applications, contradicting their statement.

Where migration assistance is required, students are referred to independent registered migration agents who engage directly with the client

— Future Care ConsultantsThe company's explanation of how migration assistance is provided.

Further complicating the issue, students claim they paid a man named Omer Bin Rasheed directly for applications, insurance, and visa appeals. Future Care has stated that Mr. Rasheed is "unrelated" to the company. However, the phone number he used was advertised on Future Care's promotional materials as far back as 2022, and students communicated with him via a WhatsApp number also advertised by Future Care Consultants. This discrepancy raises serious questions about the company's transparency and its relationship with individuals involved in the application process.

unrelated

— Future Care ConsultantsThe company's description of its relationship with Omer Bin Rasheed.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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