# Scams aimed at visiting families

> Common scams aimed at families visiting abroad: fake agents, sold invitation letters, fake listings and urgent messages. How to avoid and report them.

- Category: Good to know
- For: parents and relatives visiting or supporting family abroad
- Verified on: 2026-10-20
- Source: [National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal — Government of India](https://cybercrime.gov.in/)
- Page: https://travelsorted.grihaam.online/resources/scams-aimed-at-visiting-families

## The short answer

Official visa applications are made on the official website or through the partner it names. Anyone who promises a visa, sells a “guaranteed” letter or asks for an urgent payment by an unusual method is not helping you. Slow down, check the official page, and never pay someone who promises an outcome, because nobody can. If you have been targeted, report it and tell your bank.

## Key terms in plain English

- **Phishing:** a message that pretends to be from a trusted organisation to get your details or your money.
- **Advance-fee scam:** a request to pay first for something that never arrives.
- **Impersonation:** someone pretending to be a relative, an official or a company.

## The common ones

- **Fake agents.** They promise approval, or a faster decision, for a fee. No agent controls the decision.
- **Sold letters.** An “invitation letter” bought online. A letter must come truthfully from your host.
- **Fake websites.** Look-alike sites that copy an official page and charge extra, or take your documents. Check the address and use the link on the official page.
- **Fake listings.** A hotel or rental that does not exist, or a deposit taken and the place never confirmed.
- **Urgent messages.** “Your relative is in trouble, send money now.” Call them on a number you already have.
- **Refund and ticket scams.** A message about a cancelled flight with a link, or a ticket seller who disappears.
- **Document theft.** Someone asks for passport scans on a messaging app.

## What to do instead

- Use the official website for the application, and the official partner it names.
- Ask your family member to check a place before you pay.
- Pay by traceable means, and keep receipts.
- Call a relative back on a number you have saved.
- If you want help with an application, choose an adviser registered with the official regulator, and check their registration yourself.

## Checklist

- [ ] Start every application from the official website
- [ ] Check the web address letter by letter
- [ ] Never pay anyone who promises an outcome
- [ ] Never buy an invitation letter
- [ ] Verify a stay with your family member before you pay a deposit
- [ ] Save the numbers of your bank and your relatives on paper
- [ ] Know where to report fraud before you need it

## Common mistakes

- **Reacting to urgency.** Scams rely on pressure.
- **Sending passport scans casually.** Share them only through official channels.
- **Paying by an untraceable method.** It is hard to recover.
- **Staying quiet out of embarrassment.** Reporting helps you and others.
- **Trusting the top search result.** Adverts can imitate official sites.

## Things that change

Scams change shape, and so do official channels. Check the official page for how to apply, and for any fraud warning.

## Verify before you act

In India, report cybercrime on the [National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal](https://cybercrime.gov.in/) and tell your bank. In Canada, see the [Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm). To check an adviser, see [GOV.UK: Find an immigration adviser](https://www.gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser) or the [Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority](https://www.mara.gov.au/).

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StudentFlow gives general information from official sources and links the official visitor-visa pages. We don’t judge whether an application will be approved, and this is not legal, immigration, tax or medical advice. For questions about your case, ask the official website or a licensed adviser. Confirm current rules, fees and thresholds on the official source above.