Sunderland-based Ghanaian student in over £50K debt after visa fraud

Hamdiya said she paid over £50,000 to agents for fake certificates of sponsorship.

A Sunderland-based Ghanaian student has been left with £50,000 in debt after falling prey to a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) scam.

An investigation by The Giste has found middlemen working as recruitment agents preyed on a student who wanted to help her friends get jobs in the UK.

A COS is an official document issued by licensed UK employers to sponsor foreign nationals for work visas, a necessary component for visa applications but no guarantee of visa approval.

Documents shared exclusively with us reveal proof of payments made into various accounts, as directed by individuals posing as agents named “Maxim and Calvin”. These accounts were held by people under names such as Calvin Bailey, Calvin BailEG, Stephen Sambrook, Woollaston N. Endalle, and Ehikioya Oriabure. The documents also include seven fraudulent certificates of sponsorship.

Hamdiya Rasheed said: "I first met Calvin on Facebook- where he asked for £5,000 per person to arrange visas, accommodation, and employment. Everything seemed perfect, and the application process matched the standards outlined on the official gov.uk site. I thought it was a good deal, so I informed my friends, as I had already told the person managing the process that I was on the study route, and he would be applying for my friends not me.

"I brought it up with my colleague, who urged caution and suggested that not everyone should pay upfront, given reports of fake Certificates of Sponsorship (COS). She recommended that one person make an initial payment to verify the authenticity of the COS. Although we were initially hesitant, we decided to go ahead after consulting a friend in the UK who assured us that the company seemed legitimate.”

The ad that caught Hamdiya's attention

The 39-year-old said the first payment of £5,000 was made, but when the agent requested the remaining payments before issuing the COS, her friend insisted on applying independently once she received it. However, the ‘agent’ maintained that his team would handle everything which was convincing enough for Hamdiya- who then encouraged about ten others to pay. "Since they trusted me, they all paid”, she added.

“I went ahead and transferred the funds as instructed by ‘Bailey’ to two accounts under the names ‘Calvin Bailey’ and ‘Stephen Sambrook.’ Altogether, I transferred £25,000 without any proof of the COS at the time. However, as time went on, his responses became increasingly ‘evasive, cunning, and dodgy.’ We decided to look for other options, and another opportunity came up, this time from someone named ‘Maxim-Ehikioya.’ This new offer was priced at £4,000 and seemed fairer and more promising, so more people started paying through me-again because they trusted me. About £30,000 in total was paid. In total, across both transactions, I ended up making payments of £55,000."

The mother of four said the heartbreak hit hardest when one of her friends attempted to use the COS from ‘Maxim-Ehikioya’ and was rejected by UK immigration with a ten-year ban from re-entry.

BLOCKED!

“I called Maxim on the phone to tell him the news, but he cut off the call and immediately blocked me. It was at that moment I knew we had all been scammed by two different people.”

“My mind went blank for a days- I had no idea how to break the news to my friends and colleagues who trusted me with their funds and had no direct contact with these ‘scammers’. Most of them sold properties, emptied their accounts, took loans—just to raise that money.”

“When I got to the UK in September 2023, I called one of the numbers Maxim gave, and he picked up. But when he started speaking, I just started shaking. I froze and hung up.

“SOLD EVERYTHING TO PAY UP”

Hamidya told The Giste her husband returned to Ghana to sell their home, car, and business trailer to help repay the debt. So far, they have paid back £30,000 but still owe £25,000. She added that, from her monthly earnings of £800 to £900, she sends £500 to support him in paying off the remaining debt.

Hamdiya could not speak up for a year due to fear of the unknown.

“I don’t know how I was even able to cope all this time—maybe distance helped because when I was in Ghana, it wasn’t easy for me. I couldn’t sleep; I was always scared. Since leaving Ghana, my mental health went from strong to nearly breaking down. I’m honestly surprised I made it to graduation. Studying, focusing, and even leaving the house for classes were some of the hardest days of my life."

“AFRAID TO SPEAK UP DUE TO FEAR”

The soon-to-be graduate of Sunderland University said the only reason she managed to get through the experience was because of her husband's support. She explained that she had been afraid to speak up for over a year, worrying about the impact it might have on her stay in the UK or whether law enforcement would accuse her of paying someone for a job. That fear, she added, had weighed heavily on her.

“Right now, I don’t know what job offers are real, regardless of how genuine they seem. Anything related to a COS gives me anxiety. After graduation, I’ll just take the post-study visa and avoid stressing about COS. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go back to Ghana.”

Rasheed is speaking out now to warn others and hopes sharing her story will prevent vulnerable people from falling into similar traps.

“I GOT A 10-YEAR BAN”

Zainab Sanusi, and Cecilia Owusuaa were among several victims scammed by individuals claiming to provide employment and Certificates of Sponsorship (COS) for Ghanaian residents aspiring to work in the UK.

Zainab Sanusi who paid a total of GH₵80,000 for what she believed to be a legitimate opportunity in the UK care sector, now faces a 10-year ban from entering the UK after her application was denied ‘based on a fake Certificate of Sponsorship (COS).’

“After I received the COS and losing contact with both ‘scammers’, I went ahead with the application independently and got banned.

The scam not only left Sanusi with no work or financial stability but also strained her marriage, given the close family ties with Hamdiya Rasheed.

“At some point, this affected my marriage because Hamdiya is my aunt, my husband couldn’t take any drastic decision,” she said.

“This has left me completely back at square one.”

Faced with debts and shattered trust, Sanusi now urges others to exercise extreme caution and thoroughly verify opportunities before investing money.

"I PAID CASH"

Meanwhile, Cecilia Owusuaa, one of the victims involved in the same scam, said that she was also introduced to the employment scheme by Hamdiya, whom she paid cash in Kumasi. Cecilia trusted the process and proceeded with her application, only to be disappointed when her visa was denied.

Cecilia Owusuaa is still in Ghana

While her denial was unrelated to a fraudulent Certificate of Sponsorship (COS), she “regrets not conducting thorough checks before making any payments.”

"Now, I can’t trust any job adverts abroad any more. I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t. I took out a bank loan to fund that application. Every time my salary comes in, the bank takes most of it, and I’m left with almost nothing," she said.

Meanwhile, The Giste reached out to all the companies mentioned in the so-called COS, and each has emphatically stated they have no affiliation with it whatsoever. Moreso, attempts to contact the so-called agents through the phone numbers provided have been unsuccessful.

In the meantime, the number of employers who had their skilled worker visa sponsorship licence cancelled in the second quarter of 2024 reached 1,023, compared to just 519 in the first quarter, according to the latest Home Office data.

Of the employers who lost their sponsorship licence in the second quarter, 524 had it suspended, while 499 were revoked. These figures mark a dramatic increase compared to the second quarter of 2023, when just 89 employers had their licence suspended and 28 had it revoked.

If you or someone you know has been scammed, contact Action Fraud or get in touch to share your story.