Express entry Scammers!

While you are preparing for express entry, you need to beware of scammers and their devious intentions. These days we are seeing a lot of these "offers" on Facebook and people are liking or even worse loving such updates. This has prompted me to write this post!

1. IELTS - There are "agencies" who promise to give you band 9 certificates without an exam. Remember, the correct way of getting thru IELTS is still the old-fashioned way of giving the exam. You would be committing a fraud by "buying" certificates and everything else would be irrelevant, when you will be caught. Not to mention the monumental waste of time and money! Here are a few things you need to be aware. 
• You are supposed to take the exam with registered providers, listed on the IRCC site. When you register for the exam, you have to give your passport number, address and credit card information. These providers would send the results directly to IRCC. No one is involved in the middle. If a scammer tells you that they can give you certificates then they are lying!
• On the day of the exam, your picture is taken in the center. It is a paper based test for listening, writing and reading sections. The paper has the center number where you took the test. The form also has the signature of the invigilator who has evaluated your exam.
• Your speaking section of the test is recorded and a second invigilator will also review the recording. Your speaking section effectively is the average of the evaluation of 2 examiners.
• There are cameras around the center so the center too.
• Conclusion - 
• There is a trail and IRCC can trace back everything from the credit card to the examination center, where you took the test and the examiner who evaluated you.
• Go to the official site to find registered tests (CELPIP and TEF are also approved language tests) and providers. Follow the links to find the providers in your areas.
• Bookmark the url depending on what you decide. (IELTS/CELPIP/TEF) Scammers these days use similar urls as official ones and fool people.
2. WES evaluation - Similarly, there are agencies who promise to give you "easy evaluation" of your degrees. There are registered organizations to evaluate your education. The evaluation from any other organization is NOT acceptable. Similar to the language test, even WES asks for the degree(s) to be evaluated. They want your educational institute to send transcripts. They too send the results directly to IRCC and there is no "agency" in between. A 2015 article but a very good one to identify scammers. https://wenr.wes.org/2015/06/spot-fake-avoiding-degree-mill-scams 

Ultimately the language tests and educational credential evaluation are pre-requisites for Express entry and you get your invite based on this. If these are fake then the consequences are very severe! Any agent or agency that offer such "shortcuts " should be avoided at all costs!