Internet visa scam strands family
Rebecca Trigger, The West Australian
September 26, 2013
On her 35th birthday, Agne Jogisalu arrived in Perth with her three daughters filled with hope.
Promised a work visa, the kindergarten teacher believed she could build a new life in Australia free from the grinding poverty of her native Estonia.
But a month after arriving, the family found themselves stranded and homeless after being told they were the likely victims of a cruel and elaborate visa scam.
"After I realised it was a fraud, I started panicking," Ms Jogisalu said.
She was surfing the web in Estonia when an advertisement popped up spruiking the benefits of working in Australia.
She filled in details and half an hour later a woman calling herself Laura phoned saying she was with the migration firm Ausfis.
"Laura" told her it would cost � to arrange a visa for herself and three children - a month's salary," Ms Jogisalu said.
"At that point I never knew anyone who had done it, had applied for a visa, so I had no idea how long it could take," she said.
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Rebecca Trigger, The West Australian
September 26, 2013
On her 35th birthday, Agne Jogisalu arrived in Perth with her three daughters filled with hope.
Promised a work visa, the kindergarten teacher believed she could build a new life in Australia free from the grinding poverty of her native Estonia.
But a month after arriving, the family found themselves stranded and homeless after being told they were the likely victims of a cruel and elaborate visa scam.
"After I realised it was a fraud, I started panicking," Ms Jogisalu said.
She was surfing the web in Estonia when an advertisement popped up spruiking the benefits of working in Australia.
She filled in details and half an hour later a woman calling herself Laura phoned saying she was with the migration firm Ausfis.
"Laura" told her it would cost � to arrange a visa for herself and three children - a month's salary," Ms Jogisalu said.
"At that point I never knew anyone who had done it, had applied for a visa, so I had no idea how long it could take," she said.
Story Here