An expose by the BBC has uncovered how care homes in the United Kingdom and travel agents extort Nigerians with the promise of securing jobs and Certificates of Sponsorship and leaving them stranded.

The BBC expose revealed that some relocation agents use “glittery infomercials” on social media platforms to lure their unsuspecting Nigerians.

One company CareerEdu, headed by a Nigerian medical doctor, Kelvin Alaneme, was described by the BBC as a company that appeared legitimate but had the hallmarks of a cash-for-job scheme.

Alaneme claimed that he had helped over 5,000 migrants relocate to the UK, but first-hand accounts of people who had fallen scam to his tactics revealed otherwise.

Nigerians migrated to the UK in search of better opportunities, making it a choice destination for thousands of them over the years.

Some sources told the BBC that they had paid him thousands of pounds but he failed to deliver the jobs he promised.

Care homes in the UK require job seekers to provide home services and support for the elderly and people with disabilities.

However, many fall victim to care homes and travel agents who sell them dreams of jobs in care homes and Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) and fail to fulfill their promises.

CoS is an electronic record assigned by a UK employer (sponsor) to confirm an overseas worker’s eligibility for a UK visa, containing a unique reference number needed for the visa application.

Per UK laws, companies in the region are mandated to assign certificates of sponsorship to foreign workers they employ.

To secure these jobs, Nigerians pay thousands of pounds to relocation agents, and many get to the UK hoping to assume duties at the acre homes, only to be left stranded and helpless.

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While narrating her ordeal, one woman based in UK said she paid Alaneme 14,000 pounds to Kelvin to secure a job for her brother in the UK but he failed to deliver his promise.

“My brother was granted the visa, and when he came, July, August, September, October, there was no job.

“That was when we realised what we were into. It was very hard for him and for me because I was the one who made the payment. I was the one that trusted kelvin.”

Another victim, Praise, described the period he fell victim to Alaneme’s scam as the most difficult period of his life.

A care home, Efficiency for Care whose sponsored licenses were revoked by the UK authorities, but they continue to operate – promising foreigners jobs and leaving them stranded.

Alaneme, other relocation agents, and acre homes that collect money from foreigners in pursuit of jobs contravene the provisions of the UK law which prohibits companies from collecting money from people in exchange for jobs.