The rats were in a meeting and in
this meeting they were discussing about cats. The cats had five features: The
cats had grown in number; hunt in groups; were more ferocious; persistent and;
never tired of chasing the rats. The older rats heard of the cheese lined
streets in America. Better still in America there were no cats! Thus started a
mass migration called: the rats to America migration. They boarded ships,
aeroplanes, yachts, rafts, trains, cars and any means through which they could
be brought to America. The cats they found in America were bigger, faster and
more ferocious. Yes, the streets were lined with cheese too!
This is a story that has
implications to immigrants and asylum seekers who come to America. The landscape
is different though. Amidst human trafficking and internet-based malicious scam
sites, one is torn between which facilities to run to. There is a range of
opportunities in America: reception facilities; immigrant/refugee support
services; UNHCR documentation facilities; minor support opportunities through
agencies and homes where couples want to adopt children; faith-based reception
services; city-council social services; not-for-profit reception centers and;
internet/telephone-based services.
Reports of un-met promises made
to new immigrants are rife. Reports of human trafficking are rife too. The
expectations of immigrants or refugees or asylum seekers are around the basic
issues of: health, housing, documentation, employment and relationships. This
makes them vulnerable and many fall prey to cunning and crafty people.
As people make breakthroughs, they
should be wary of some internet/telephone-based sites that promise so much in
so little a time. Some claim to provide: loans; education grants; health
insurance; education grades; safety and security from internet hacking and
housing facilities. The catch is one has to pay a lot of money in order to
register and access the services. Many of these services are designed in such a
way as to fleece off un-suspecting enthusiasts!
If you thought you had escaped
the Nigerian Scams (The 419s), this side of the world are hackers and scammers far more skilled (The Ponzi schemes).
This is not to say the internet is taken over by scammers. No! There are really
genuine sites and businesses online. There are also scams! Like the cats these are the features one may
be faced with: They have used the first class Indian-trained computer literates
to come up with very official looking websites; they have toll-free lines for calling and receiving
calls. They create impression of being in very noisy and busy premises;; they have rented post office boxes where one can send
letters; they have land-based addresses most times a ruse to convince an inquiring
person of their physical nature; they have bank accounts and with the use of credit
card transactions they are able to conduct businesses. Unfortunately or fortunately, even the genuine ones have these features. What a serious person relying on on-line transactions should do: do a background check on the on-line based business through the FBI anti-fraud services or online anti-fraud services, use Craigslist or Amazon credited websites. This way one stands better chances of value returns. If the business has a phone number, call them to express your concerns. It will give you confidence.
The cheese lined streets of
America exist. The rats should understand that they are living side by side
with cats. The cats will never tire of chasing them. All the rats have to learn
is to outrun the cats!
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