Guntoo

I had applied for admision at Canadian College of Business & Computers (CCBC) Toronto Canada in last June & had sent them a Cheque for CA$ 5000 demanded by them as advance fee. But I was refused study permit by Can. High Commission. So I requested the refund of my advance fee of $5000 from CCBC. After 3 months they sent me a cheque that I deposited in my bank but after a few days the bank informed me that the cheque had bounced & charged me a penalty for it. I wrote to CCBC about it but to avail no reply. I tried to call them up but again no reply. Now it is going to be four months so far but nothing has happened in my case. They seem to have simply vanished. It looks as if they have pulled a fraud. Please someone tell me how to get my money back & how to set these people right who are giving such a bad name to such a beautiful country.
GUNTOO

PMM

Hi

Take a look at this Ontario Gov't Site for filing a complaint.
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general....html#contract
It is interesting that private colleges in Ontario are supposed to be registered, but there doesn't seem to be one under that name registered.

Alberta_Rose

That's terrible! Really awful, poor you!

I suppose it just goes to show that there are people ready to take advantage of other people wherever you go.

Actually I can't think of any circumstance where one should be expected to pay such a large sum of money in advance of anything!

PMM

Hi

Most schools that cater to foreign students insist on tutition up front.

dbd33

Anything involving a lawyer or big accounting firm.

Purley

There does appear to be such a college:

http://www.ccbc.ca/beinformed/newsdetails.asp?newsid=96

I would be complaining to Consumer Affairs in Ontario.

dingbat

I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, but you probably won't get your money back. You should have checked to see that they were registered and accredited before handing over any money. This outfit are a private business and [allegedly] prey on people who don't know any better. Their "qualifications" are [allegedly] somewhat dubious too. These types of places are all over Canada, and no one will be interested that you lost your money. Its the way it goes here, the onus is on you to ensure that the institution is a bona fide one.

They are part of this association:
Ontario Association of Career Colleges
274 Colborne Street, Upper Level, P.O. Box 340
Brantford, ON N3T 5N3
Tel: (519) 752-2124 Fax: (519) 752-3649
www.oacc.on.ca Email: [email protected]

It may not help you if CCBC are in receivership as there will be nothing to return once all the legal bills are paid here. I am very sorry that you lost you money.

dbd33

Well maybe but there are a few levels of scam here, lots of "schools" exist only so that people nominally attending them can get a study permit and one wouldn't expect such a place to be accredited. When we first considered getting the OH a study permit our lawyer suggested a scam school but, since it was going to be $4500, she decided she might as well take a real course in a subject of interest and get the permit for that. We don't know if OP thought the school was real or if the permit refusal related to the school.

dingbat

Yeah I know the poor bloke probably didn't know he was being done. These private school places really p** me off. Their qualifications are worthless and people pay thousands thinking they might get a job at the end of the courses. Of course, there are those applying who know the score...but still..I wouldn't risk a dodgy school for a dodgy study permit. There was a school in Vancouver last summer that was still cashing cheques from foreign students the morning it was put into receivership. The teachers all got paid, of course, but hundreds of foreign computer students were left penniliess. Some of them were stranded here as they arrived to begin courses that simply no longer existed. There was no financial help with repatriation either as the "school" was not bonded....

Dorothy

Contact the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) fraud department. As has been said before, you may not get your money back, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing something about it. If OPP are not interested, then alternately you could contact the Toronto Police Service and lodge a complaint. If it were me, I would also send a letter just like the one you posted to the large newspapers' editorial departments. Again, even if you don't get your money back, you have shamed them and hopefully saved someone else from giving money to these crooks.

TROY8712

I would do exactly what they said, is this the school your talking about?
http://www.nacc.ca/2176.htm

I would give the prvincial police all the contact details as well, such as phone numbers etc. And the account number on the bottom of the check. Maybe they can investigate that account number to see who the owner of that account is. If it is a real account number.

Gezza

Welcome to a 3rd World Country! ...My sincere sympathy.

dbd33

Doesn't this scam work precisely because the victims are in "3rd World" countries and wish to move to Canada instead?

CalgaryBlade

Aha, it's "down on Canada week" for Gezza, changed your mind again?

But back to your statement, preying on the vulnerable and naive who wish to start a new life is unfortunately not a practice limited to Canada.

While $5000 is a lot to lose it's not as tragic as losing ones life:

Morecambe Bay Tragedy

celine_uk

yea i thought you really loved canada now????