BBC Africa Eye share their new documentary, “Stranded: Exposing The UK’s Immigration Scammers”.
BBC Africa Eye goes undercover to trace down rogue “relocation brokers” who squeeze hundreds of kilos from aspiring migrants with the false promise of jobs within the UK.
Exploiting the need of tens of millions of Africans emigrate to Europe, these brokers gasoline a thriving underground commerce in UK work papers.
Reporter Olaronke Alo units out to find what occurs when the promised jobs don’t materialize – and exposes pitfalls of the UK immigration system which have allowed the unlawful schemes to flourish.
This investigation was carried out by Africa Eye and the BBC’s International Disinformation Unit.
- [00:00] Introduction: An underground community of immigration scammers
- [01:30] Younger Nigerians searching for alternatives overseas
- [02:38] ‘Relocation brokers’ overpromise and underdeliver
- [04:23] A relocation company with glittery infomercials
- [06:35] “How my nightmare began”
- [07:34] The UK care sector
- [08:33] CoS – Certificates of Sponsorship: “It’s an enormous gamble”
- [09:52] “Simply get me care houses…I could make you a millionaire”
- [13:40] ”They consider me, they trusted me”
- [14:15] Days flip into months: Reward falls sufferer to the rip-off
- [18:20] A care firm ‘sponsors’ a thousand care employees
- [21:13] Relocation brokers focusing on African diaspora in UK
- [22:06] “When he speaks to you, you’d suppose he’s an angel”
- [22:06] Recruiting the recruiters
- [25:40] ‘I borrowed cash from my household and now we don’t speak’
- [27:34] Evolving techniques, diversifying the rip-off
- [28:00] An undercover operation – Procuring Ugandan employees
- [29:20] “A median particular person would want to promote their land for a CoS”
- [31:30] From care to building
- [33:00] Deeper into the undercover operation
- [36:40] A Payroll Playbook: The rip-off defined
- [38:02] In breach of immigration guidelines?
- [40:56] What’s subsequent for misled migrants hiding within the shadow financial system?
- [41:40] A migrant employee’s remorse: “I foolishly trusted my sponsor”
