Marking International Fraud Awareness Week (16–22 November 2025), Australia has joined the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand in a coordinated campaign to combat visa scams. The ‘Fighting Visa Fraud’ initiative, announced by the Australian Embassy in Bangkok on 17 November, warns prospective travellers against unscrupulous agents promising guaranteed visas or shortcuts such as paying through social-media channels.
The campaign features multilingual social-media infographics, embassy outreach events and a referral portal for reporting suspected fraud to the Department of Home Affairs. According to embassy figures, more than 110,000 Thai nationals travelled to Australia last year, making Thailand a key market for visitor, student and working-holiday visas.
![Australia Partners with UK, Canada and New Zealand in Global ‘Fight Visa Fraud’ Week]()
Officials say visa-related scams surged 32 per cent in Southeast Asia in 2024–25, with losses ranging from forged health checks to fake ‘priority processing’ fees. The cross-country partnership aims to share intelligence on organised crime rings and align public-education messages across major destination markets.
For corporates relocating staff from the region, the message is clear: use only registered migration agents and official payment channels. Failure to do so can lead to refused applications, unexpected costs and reputational damage.
The embassy is directing applicants to the Home Affairs website and reminding them that Australia never requests payments via social media or third-party apps.
The campaign features multilingual social-media infographics, embassy outreach events and a referral portal for reporting suspected fraud to the Department of Home Affairs. According to embassy figures, more than 110,000 Thai nationals travelled to Australia last year, making Thailand a key market for visitor, student and working-holiday visas.
Officials say visa-related scams surged 32 per cent in Southeast Asia in 2024–25, with losses ranging from forged health checks to fake ‘priority processing’ fees. The cross-country partnership aims to share intelligence on organised crime rings and align public-education messages across major destination markets.
For corporates relocating staff from the region, the message is clear: use only registered migration agents and official payment channels. Failure to do so can lead to refused applications, unexpected costs and reputational damage.
The embassy is directing applicants to the Home Affairs website and reminding them that Australia never requests payments via social media or third-party apps.
