Two on Police radar over alleged $50,000 Australia job scam

A local taxi driver and a Samoan woman living in Australia are now on Police radar after they allegedly collected about $50,000 from 500 Fijians with the promise of securing them work in Australia.

The 500 people allegedly paid $100 each to a fake labour-hire company, believing they were registering for an opportunity to work in Australia.

Police have confirmed that investigations are underway to locate the two, who allegedly claimed to represent Top of the Crop, an Australian company registered as an employer under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.

The Fiji Sun has confirmed that registrations were held at a Methodist Church hall in Martintar, Nadi, in July, after the pair allegedly hired the venue and gathered a large crowd.

A source said a flight attendant who was present at the registration tried to warn those attending about problems with the forms, but her concerns were ignored.

She said the form wouldn't get them on a plane.

Permanent Secretary for Employment Maritino Nemani urged Fijians to be more vigilant and verify the legitimacy of overseas employment offers before handing over money.

“How can you go to Australia and New Zealand without a passport, without a visa, without a ticket, and think $100 is going to take you there?” Nemani said.

“If you go to Australia and New Zealand under the Government programme, there are no fees to be charged.”

Nemani said Fijians continued to fall victim to such schemes despite repeated public warnings and urged prospective workers to verify recruiters with the ministry.

“Do I have a passport? Do I have a ticket? Do I have a visa? Do I have a contract? Can $100 take me to Australia or New Zealand? No. So why give $100?” he said.

He said workers should ask for proof that a recruiter was legitimately authorised to recruit under the relevant programme.

“In the absence of that, verify with the ministry,” Nemani said.

The Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma’s secretary for communications, Reverend Lote Raboila, said the hall had been hired but the church was not aware of the activities conducted there.

The cost of legally travelling to Australia is substantially higher than $100.

According to Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, visa fees vary by category. A Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482), for example, starts at $6346.93 for the primary applicant, while an Employer Nomination Scheme visa (Subclass 186) costs $9706.14.

Other visa categories listed include the Temporary Work – Short Stay Specialist visa (Subclass 400), at $845.73, and Working Holiday or Work and Holiday visas (Subclasses 417 and 462), costing $1327.88 for a first visa.

According to the Fijian Department of Immigration, an ordinary passport costs $258.10 and takes 15 working days, while an urgent passport costs $309.70 and takes three working days.

An airline ticket from Fiji to Australia can cost between $2000 and $3000, depending on the destination and travel date.