A recent report has uncovered a unique citizenship scam in the United Kingdom (UK), in which British men are being paid up to £10,000 to act as fake fathers for the babies of migrant mothers.
This fraud, which people are calling the “citizenship daddy” scam, is being run on social media and other online platforms. By adding their names to the birth certificates, the scammers help children get British citizenship and allow mothers to remain in the country.
NEW: Undercover filming shows a British man being offered thousands of pounds to pretend to be a child's father – so the child can get UK citizenship and the mum posing as an illegal migrant can stay
Watch the UK insight team's report on BBC 2 @ 10.30pmhttps://t.co/P0zxS1DNGF pic.twitter.com/wEX48WGIna
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) May 15, 2023
A recent investigation by BBC Newsnight involved an undercover researcher assuming the role of a pregnant woman residing illegally in the UK.
During the investigation, an agent named “Thai” was approached, who, unlike the normal method of advertising on Facebook, operated through alternative means.
Thai offered a comprehensive package worth £11,000, featuring many British men who could act as fake fathers.
The agent assured the undercover researcher that the process was quick, claiming that he would go to great lengths to secure a British passport for her child by deceiving immigration authorities.
He introduced the researcher to a British man named Andrew. Andrew took photos with her and asked for £8,000 to add his name to the birth certificate.
Likewise, Newsnight found many posts on Vietnamese Facebook groups made for job-seeking, where individuals openly searched for “citizenship daddies.”
A spokesperson for UK’s Home Office emphasized that a birth certificate alone might not be enough evidence to establish paternity.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, remarked that birth certificate fraud is strictly banned and any content as such will be removed from the platform.
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