Having been directly involved with the immigration law profession in Sydney for over 17 years, I have witnessed a harsh reality up close: when people are captivated by the sweet words of a fraudster, they perceive the truth-teller as an enemy.

While sitting in Sydney, I often receive calls or messages from both known and unknown persons from the country. Some relatives are coming to Australia on an apple or orange orchard picking visa, while others are lured by the promise of assured permanent residency in exchange for a significant amount of money.

When I scrutinise the documents and say, ‘This is sheer fraud; don’t give any money, ’ most people don’t want to believe it. Instead, they argue, ‘The visa is showing online!’ Some even say, ‘Since I am spending so much money, let’s see what happens!’ However, the inevitable happens; when the person loses all life savings and property and gets stranded at the airport or on foreign soil, another call comes. But by then, there’s nothing left to do.