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Migration Advisory Service also operates as Electrician Australia, Teaching Australia, Carpenter Australia, Emigrate Australia and Violet Popsicle Media.
They are not located at either 50 Jermyn Street or 3rd Floor, 14 Hanover Street. These are virtual offices which they pay to pose as if they are based there. The receptionists are also not part of the company and answer the switch board but do not have anything to do with the company. You can not get through to any of the employees as they are always away from their desks or in a meeting.
These companies are not MARA registered agents despite what the websites claim. Migration Advisory Service is also not a UK registered company.
They promise to provide you with a Visa within 12 months. Once they have received your money, communication stops and they do not respond to emails. Whenever you call the switchboard the receptionist gives an excuse why they can not take the call.
When told that I was going to the police as the company was not legit the receptionist answered 'Ok i will pass on the message'. An employee still did not return my call!
The police are aware of this company and a fraud report is currently being looked into.
Do not use either of these companies to provide you with a visa!
Peteroz, judging by the poor grammar you demonstrate in your posts, I don't believe for one moment you passed any of the appropriate skills test required to obtain a visa to work as a professional in Australia. Can only assume you are a 'friend' of the Markhams and this is a pathetic attempt to defend their illegal activities. IF you did obtain a visa through one of their scam companies then please do get in touch with the police - you may be able to help with their enquiries. I suspect you won't! Jog on Peteroz and don't insult our intelligence.
I feel like someone who needs to speak out and comment here. I do know the beneficial owner quite well and he a nice enough chap. Businesses fail all the time, every day thousands of businesses go under, be it from cost pressure, staff issues, mismanagement. The list is endless. I don’t agree with lots of these comments. I know for a fact this is a handful of disgruntled people and to be honest yes some of them have a right to be disgruntled I guess. But, and it’s a big BUT it is sometimes a case of caveat emptor. Caveat Emptor essentially means ‘buyer beware’ for example, you buy a second hand car for 2k one day and it breaks down, you go back to the garage that sold it but that garage is no longer there. Caveat Emptor. In terms of each and every sale there is a contract in place and terms and conditions. You do need to really be aware of these terms and conditions because they are your rights (or lack thereof). Going on a witchhunt rarely produces any meaningful result especially when there is no money to be had.
I know it has cost the beneficial owner dearly, his family, his home, his sanity and nearly his life. I know that he is working hard on making good lots of the issues he has personally and I respect him for that. I am working with him closely to overcome these issues. He lives now in a modest one bedroom apartment in Singapore and is working as a sales rep at a car dealership. His (almost ex wife) I know helped him out in the early days doing emails and things and he is gutted that she is being crucified for things that had nothing to do with her.
There is no lavish lifestyle and listening to his stories there never really was. Lots of income was reinvested into salaries and advertising and all the usual overheads that come with owning and managing a business. There have been a lot of life lessons learned I think from all sides. There is no slush fund, no lavish bourgeois excess and I think it’s time to move on, recriminations will probably go on for some time but that usually does happen when business go under. I know that he always talks highly of his staff that went out of their way to provide a good service to clients in sometimes difficult and challenging circumstances.
I know that he had some good times and at one time there was lots of excitement as to where the business could potentially get to but things happen, times change, costs come in from all angles like lots of businesses it is a very competitive and challenging market. And sometimes these external pressures drive a business under. I don’t know many online scams that spend over $200, 000 a year on advertising and marketing, I’ve never seen a Nigerian scammer using his real name in business structures and renting offices. It was never set up to be anything but a good company offering a good service in a unique market. The fact that the business went under is so disappointing I can tell from reading to lots of people. It is and was a sorry state of affairs. As far as money is concerned I can assure people that it was never the main motivator and that the beneficial owner is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
That’s my bit and thank you for reading I felt compelled to write.
Hi I have only just come across this website. I too have been scammed and we completely devastated. We gave them all of our wedding present money in the hope of emigrating to Australia. has anyone had any luck on getting there money back. What should I do first? I actually am still in shock. I was 'turned down' for a visa and received an email to say so, I should have known then that something was a miss. Please give me some advice.
Can see that some people did get a decent service from these guys. My main issue is that I was lied to... consistently and over a long period of time. My wife's paperwork was even sent to the skills assessment body but then teaching australia failed to pay for the assessment to take place and then waited for it to lapse and get mothballed. This was despite me paying a specific amount above and beyond the initial fee which was for the assessment. Our money was evidently used for something else. By lying to me it meant I wasn't aware that our assessment had not been paid for until after the AITSL deadline meaning we have had to start all over again. Luckily the chap I emailed at AITSL was very clear about what we needed to do.
I am also worried about what happened to the second set of documentation we provided. A lot of personal information held by potentially fairly unscrupulous per people. A friend who works in financial services has kindly offered to do a bit of digging which will hopefully lead to some results
William Bob. Your friend is a scammer. He lies about his business address. He hides behind lots of different company names. He lies about being based in th UK. He creates contracts and breaks them. He cons people into giving out their bank account and passport details. His facebook profile and details I have received from the police indicate you are incorrect about him living in Singapore. If he was genuinely remorseful why would he run away to Singapore? He knows what he has done is illegal and is not brave enough to face the consequences which could include a spell in jail. You're right, many companies go under but they announce it in a professional manner and then go through the correct step s to close their company down. Open your eyes.
Hi Everyone,
For all of us who have been scammed, as this is the truth (and not what some people are claiming) I have been contacted this week both by email and by phone by the Economic Crime Unit in Gibraltar. They are happy for me to post that they have an open investigation with regards to this scam, currently with 52 complaints and have arrested someone. They have informed me to urge anyone who has not already done so to contact them on the following email address ecu.royalgib.police.gi to give them any information you have. They are currently collecting witness statements and are looking to visit all who have been scammed. This is fantastic news and I hope that anyone who has not yet spoken to the police will do so. Let's get these Bas**rds done for what they have purposely done to us all!
Will be contacting the Economic Crime Unit in Gibraltar later today. Thanks LinsJL100. Would urge others to do the same.
More than welcome Barrett67, let's hope everyone else does the same. I'm sure we can nail these ###!
This sounds like good progress towards understanding what happened to our money. I've also been contacted by the Gibraltar police have set up a chat with the detective in charge to pass on our experience.
Hi, IV already posted my experience on page 1. I will be emailing them now. Thanks LinsJL100.
I know this is probably an old thread but I've only just now seen this. I too have been scammed big time from this company. I have lost out on £4260. I originally dealt with a Thomas Johnson, then a Nicola Hamilton, then Fiona Markham then lastly a James Gordon-Clarke. I have reported them to action fraud, the Australian Dob in service, the police and spoke to citizens advice bureau. Depending on how you paid you could potentially get your money back. If you paid via PayPal or credit card you are fine. If you did a transfer then you are screwed. I've managed to reclaim half but the other half is lost. They have been found to be trading from Gibraltar. Police in Spain are aware of this and have arrested someone but he is on bail. His name is alistair Markham. The police are trying to get him send down for this as he has ruined several people's lives and taken their hard earned cash. I personally have given my statement to the police who came out from gilbralter to England. If anyone wants to talk direct please get in contact and I can point you in the direction of where you need to go to report this. The more cases the police have the better to get all these people sent down. Please come forward don't be scared. Even if we have no joy of getting our money back at least we can try and get justice.
Fiona Markham has just moved from Spain to Thailand. She is currently working at The Cabin Chiang Mai. Her boss can be contacted at +[protected]
I also have been scammed by this company. After receiving a phone call from them as I showed interest on their website the person on the phone (Nicole) gave me all the answers one would wish to hear. Being now excited at the prospect and acquiring a visa and having undertaken this process unsuccessfully before as my occupation was removed from the wanted list, I proceeded with the Migration Advisory Service. I double questioned them at every stage being surprised at their positive answers to questions that I believed had negative outcomes e.g. "but the Northern Territory does not have my occupation on their list" and each time I'd be told a loophole or reason why I can apply. After much expense for my accountant to prepare my Self Employed accounts and IELTS test which I had to travel and stay away for as well as the £2100 and skills test £750 to the M.A.S. I received all my paperwork in the post and a sorry note that stated I'd be refunded. That was six months ago and they have vanished. I have contacted Watchdog, I have made a Fraud report to the police who unfortunately seem to have passed that on to the local constabulary closest to the fictitious address of the M.A.S. and thats it, the lines gone dead. I am glad to have found a few here that would also like to pursue these people and lynch these ********s because I for one would like to take this further and see these people suffer for their crimes.
Hi,
The same happened to us £2430 down. I've spoken to the Royal Gibraltar Police, citizens advice, PayPal and my Visa card provider. Does anyone have any tips on getting money back. Also, we're going alone to get a visa now, instead of going to do a trade test which was suggested and paid for through Emigrate Australia or Immigration advisory service as it was when we began the process, we went to Trade Recognition Australia. This isn't the same for all trades and professions but it worked for us. To anyone who has been granted a visa, congratulations first of all. Secondary, how long did you wait after putting in an expression of interest? Thanks for any help or advice.
On another point, if Alistar Markham is on bail he is not the same guy who lives in a bedsit in Singapore and if the fella who claims to know him is being truthful could he please get an explanation for us all?
Alistair Markham is now the director of Emigrate Limited, which was incorporated in October 2015. He must be starting the scam again to sustain his lifestyle... as his wife is something to do with WER International Rehabs.
When are the police actually going to step in and sort this out?
Hi guys, so i know we are a few months since the last thread, just wondering on evreyones positions now? i'm in contact with a guy James Rodriguez from the Gibraltar police, he has my information now to try and help with this case. has anyone else been in contact with them as yet? my wife am i git sucked in for 2400 pounds. horrible people altogether.
Hi, I'm also in contact with James, he's doing a statement with the information I've past on. We were scammed more than that... not abt the money though, im worried where all our personal details are...
Kind Regards Clare
Fiona is hiding out in Chiang Mai, Thailand, scamming rehabs and sick clients. Please report her to authorities.
Fiona Markham is now Clinical director of a clinic in Malaysia, Wave clinic for adolescents with mental health issues. Pretty scary to think someone like this is responsible for a child mental health recoveryhttps://thewaveclinic.com/team/fiona-markham
She is living the dream life in a paradise environment (see the link on her company website to their Facebook page she goes under the name of Fiona Carroll now) much like the life I planned with the M.A.S. but alas my contribution went towards their lifestyle and here I am still in sunny England.
This is their website: https://thewaveclinic.com/ - There are phone numbers and Fiona lives on the property. International police can get to her there. She is now scamming children.
Fiona Markham now goes under Fiona Caroll and runs a rehab called The Wave Clinic in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Please direct the police here.
Wave Clinic CEO Ms Fiona is playing forty games by scamming innocent clients and give false hopes to their families for the treatment they provide. The Malaysian Police should direct take action against them.
These are people reviews supporting evidence of these fiona and its team scammed people.