‼️ All UNHCR services, including registration, resettlement and complementary pathways are free of charge. All UNHCR’s partners services are free of charge. For more information on how to report fraud, exploitation or abuse is available on UNHCR’s helpsite.
- Complementary pathways involve many different partners, Governments, and service providers. Refugees should be highly cautious about whom they engage with and refrain from sharing personal information or giving money to people or organizations before they have confirmed their legitimacy.
- Please beware of individuals claiming false affiliation to UNHCR and/or its partners, including outside of the UNHCR Office or on social media platforms. Do not trust anyone who claims to provide services on behalf of UNHCR, including for resettlement and complementary pathways in exchange for money or favors.
- Some complementary pathways require payment of application or other fees. Please investigate through official Government websites to confirm the fees and payment method. UNHCR, partners, governments, and other trusted organizations do not use money transfer websites like PayPal, Wise, or MoneyGram. Official payments may not also be made through Western Union, transfers to individuals, or personal checks.
Staying safe while searching for complementary pathways online
Online fraud is especially hard to identify. Online posts advertising opportunities for employment, scholarships, or immigration pathways may contain official-looking emblems or logos and use official names or websites. Email addresses or website addresses may include the words “United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees” or the names of different governments, partners, universities, or employers.
You must always remain vigilant. Staying safe online is your responsibility. With every decision you make online, you may either protect or expose yourself to fraud or scam.
Below are three key tips to stay safe online:
1⃣ 📋Minimize sharing of personal information:
By refraining from sharing personal information, you can protect your privacy online and ensure your safety both online and offline. You are also making the scammer’s task harder, as they have no identifiable information about you.
2⃣✅ Verify who you are interacting with:
You may receive messages from unknown contacts, especially on social media (Facebook, Whatsapp, etc.) Sometimes these can even be fake profiles who have friends in common with you and look legitimate. Whether it is an individual or an organization, you must be extremely cautious in engaging with these individuals and do your best to verify the identity of whoever you are interacting with.
3⃣ 🛡Protect your devices:
Clicking on untrusted and unverified links may expose your device to cyber-attacks, phishing, and hacking. Attacks can affect your phones, as well as your computers, if you connect them to the internet. You may also wish to install a virus protection software that detects and blocks potential threats to your devices.
You may use the internet to search for employment, scholarships, or other opportunities in third countries. Searching for these resources online can be tricky, and you may fall victim to exploitation or fraud. Here are a few tips to spot a fake or misleading opportunity:
🔴 Looks too good to be true: Scammers usually use exaggerated and unrealistic advertisements to attract their victims. They also use vague job descriptions and promise exaggerated salary and benefits.
🔴 Has poor spelling and grammar: Legitimate job or scholarship opportunities should be well-written and free of spelling and grammar errors. If you notice several mistakes in the advertisement, it may be a sign that it is a fake.
🔴An offer is made without assessing your skills or qualifications: Be very suspicious of jobs or scholarships that are offered quickly, without an interview or vetting. Some may also apply pressure, insisting that you accept the opportunity quickly. These are signs that an opportunity is not legitimate.
🔴Do your research: look for reviews before applying for an opportunity and check the company’s website to see if it looks legitimate. Often, fake opportunities use generic email domains instead of company-specific email domains (for example @gmail.com or @yahoo.com).
One way to protect yourself from fake job postings is to avoid job offers on Facebook, WhatsApp, or Telegram, and use official, trusted websites for your job search. These are some of the well-known ones in countries like Canada, the European Union, the UK, and Australia.
