An undercover BBC Africa Eye investigation has exposed a massive UK care home scam, where fraudulent agents exploit the Health & Care Worker visa scheme to deceive desperate Nigerian job seekers with false promises of employment.
Fraudulent Recruitment Exposed
At the center of the scandal is Dr. Kelvin Alaneme, a Nigerian doctor and founder of CareerEdu, who was caught on tape admitting to charging job seekers exorbitant fees for non-existent positions in the UK care sector. In secret recordings, Dr. Alaneme boasted about his ability to profit from the scheme, telling a BBC undercover reporter posing as a UK care industry insider:
“Just get me care homes. I can make you a millionaire.”
Dr. Alaneme claimed that each job vacancy in a UK care home was valued at £2,000 ($2,600), with an additional £500 ($650) commission. These job slots were then sold to unsuspecting Nigerian migrants, many of whom arrived in the United Kingdom only to find themselves stranded without work.
Under UK employment laws, charging job seekers for placements is illegal. However, Dr. Alaneme acknowledged that desperate candidates had no choice but to pay, stating:
“They are not supposed to be paying because it should be free. But they pay because they know it’s the only way.”
One victim, Praise, revealed he had paid £10,000 ($13,000) to secure a supposed role at Efficiency for Care, a care company based in Clacton-on-Sea. However, upon arrival, he discovered that the job did not exist.
“If I had known there was no job, I would not have come here. I came here to work,” he lamented, explaining how he was left homeless and struggling to survive.
Investigations into Efficiency for Care revealed alarming discrepancies. Despite officially employing 16 staff members in 2022 and 152 in 2023, the company had issued a staggering 1,234 Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to foreign workers between March 2022 and May 2023.
Fake Payrolls and Visa Fraud
Dr. Alaneme also detailed another illegal scheme in which fake payroll records were generated to make it appear that migrants had legitimate jobs, allowing them to remain in the UK illegally.
When confronted by BBC reporters, he denied running a scam, insisting that CareerEdu only provided “legitimate services” and that the funds paid by victims covered transportation, accommodation, and training.
He also claimed to have helped Praise find alternative employment for free.
UK-Based Recruiter Also Implicated
The BBC also uncovered another fraudulent operation run by UK-based recruiter Nana Akwasi Agyemang-Prempeh, who allegedly defrauded victims of nearly £67,000 by promising them care worker jobs that never existed.
Some of the Certificates of Sponsorship he provided were forgeries—replicas of genuine UK work visa documents issued by legitimate care companies.
When confronted, Agyemang-Prempeh denied wrongdoing, claiming he had unknowingly distributed fake certificates and was a fraud victim.
Authorities Crack Down on Visa Abuse
Matthew Bond, CEO of Borderless, a firm specializing in immigration compliance, explained why these fraudulent job schemes thrive:
“A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is issued by a business that says, ‘I’m going to sponsor this individual.’ You can’t get a visa or travel to the UK for work without that. Because many want these jobs, rogue agents have taken advantage of the system, charging candidates tens of thousands of pounds for these certificates.”
Another victim, identified as Harry (not his real name), shared his devastating experience, revealing he had lost £9,500 (17–18 million Naira) to the scam.
“I sold my properties, resigned from my job, took loans from family and friends—all to move to the UK. Now, I have nothing,” he said.
UK Government Responds
In response to the BBC investigation, the UK Home Office vowed to take stricter action against fraudulent recruitment practices, with a spokesperson stating:
“The government has announced robust new action against shameless employers who abuse the visa system, with tough measures that will ban businesses who flout UK employment laws from sponsoring overseas workers.”
While the UK government is increasing enforcement, thousands of victims remain financially and emotionally devastated by these scams.
This investigation was conducted by BBC Africa Eye and the BBC’s Global Disinformation Unit.
