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[a99daric]

My friend has just come back from bangkok after meeting with his Thai GF and whilst there he was to enquire about a Visa for her so she can stay in the UK with him for a few months.
He said he went to the British embassy in Bangkok but i fear he went to these agencies i have just read about, i think he has been scammed because he said he felt pressured by the Thai lady dealing with him to apply for a UK settlement visa straight away, she charged him £2500 to do so, he only had £1900 in his account (He gave them his credit card details to pay)and he will have to pay the rest later.

Does this sounf like he has been scammed or did he just over pay for the services?

Edited by 7by7, 2010-06-25 13:39:54.
Moved to new topic from pinned topic as it could easily be missed in the pinned topic.

[7by7]

He has been scammed by an agent.

No one at the UKVAC would advise him on what visa to apply for; they wouldn't even talk to him as only applicant's are allowed in!

The cost of a UK settlement visa is £644.

Apart from small charges for extra services, such as a courier return of the passport, there are no extra charges.

Tell him to contact his credit card company PDQ to see if he can cancel the transaction.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

If he requires a consultant to deal with his application ensure he/she is registered by the OISC.

And has demonstrated proven ability with entry clearance applications.

[bobrussell]

Quite right - sounds like a scam. Depending on the country that issued the credit card he may have some rights to claim some or all of the costs of a service paid for on credit card where that service failed to be of merchantable quality. may be worth putting the credit card company under some pressure!

[a99daric]

Thankyou for replying to my message, i am sure you are right that he has been scammed i have told him so as well though i think he just doesn't want to believe it.
My other worry is that his Thai GF who was with him & probably took him to that agency may have set him up but i am not sure if that sort of thing can happen. It is not the first time she has applied for a visa as she was living with the then husband in Sweden only last year so must have an idea of what to do and how much it costs.