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indigirl
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Posts: 10
Location: between somewhere and elsewhere...
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 Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 10:55 am Post subject: MOFA wants money, fingerprints, anti-terror certificate. |
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Is it normal, in processing a work visa, to be contacted by the 'Ministry of Foreign Affairs' in Japan?
I have been asked to send $310 US, a scanned sample of my thumbprint and an anti terrorism certificate.
I have already sent all my scanned docs to the school who is meant to be hiring me. I thought next step was getting CoE. But according to the email from 'MOFA' they are asking for these things because i am required to be there (at MOFA in Japan) for a face to face finger printing and signing ("Due to my inability to be there", they say, they need me to do these things.) Since I'm not there, and waiting for my visa, i find myself wondering how they would expect me to get there w/out a visa in the first place..
The part that sounds dodgy (apart from asking for money for the anti-terrorism certificate) is that i scan my *own* fingerprints.
Really? Does this sound legit? How would one know they are dealing with the real Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
Please advise!
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 11:51 am Post subject: |
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Sounds very dodgy. If they need your fingerprints, they'll take them once you're in the country (e.g. when passing through Immigration and getting your Alien Registration Card issued - apparently they do the two things at once nowadays), and at no cost to you. And this is the first I've heard of any criminal record/background checks being necessary for the issuing of Japanese visas.
The best thing to do whenever you're in any doubt about the exact procedures required is to contact your nearest J embassy or consulate.
Last edited by fluffyhamster on Wed Jun 05, 2013 9:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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indigirl
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Posts: 10
Location: between somewhere and elsewhere...
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| Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 12:40 pm Post subject: |
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Right? Thanks Hamster.... I am trying to get hold of the embassy at present.
*Another dodgy thing, it was signed off with the salutation "God bless" |
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OneJoelFifty
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 463
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| Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 1:01 am Post subject: |
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| God bless! Sounds like a straight up scam to me, never heard of anything like it. |
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HeatherG
Joined: 25 Mar 2013
Posts: 15
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| Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 3:03 am Post subject: |
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| What is an anti-terror certificate? Is that a common requirement for ESL jobs Does such a thing even exist? |
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kah5217
Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 270
Location: Ibaraki
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| Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 9:49 am Post subject: |
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| For starters, Japanese don't say "God bless". That alone would make me suspicious. Japanese are very spiritual people, just not in the same vein as most Westerners. Second, they're going to fingerprint you at the airport, for free, and you don't need it beforehand to get the COE. Thousands of JETs and dispatch ALTs get their paperwork done without going to the immigration offices. |
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Sublime
Joined: 23 Apr 2011
Posts: 90
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| Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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Anti-terrorism certificate? 
Are you sure this is a real ESL job? It all sounds a bit James Bond. |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 1:37 am Post subject: |
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| It's beyond dodgy, it shrieks "scam". Google "anti-terrorism certificate" and you'll get pages of scam letters. How did they contact you? |
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move
Joined: 30 May 2009
Posts: 132
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| Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 9:01 am Post subject: |
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| That is a scam. $310 is way too much for an anti-terrorism certificate. Just transfer $250 to my account and I'll get you that paper by next week. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 2:32 am Post subject: |
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"God bless"!?!?
Sets me in mind of those e-mails I sometimes get from Nigeria.
If it had really been sent by a Japanese person, it would be in one of two forms:
Form 1:
| Quote: |
Doe,
Read this letter carefully. You must send your thumbprint, photo, anti-terrorism document and $310 dollars without delay. Do not fail.
Tanaka
Imperial Department of Screening Out Undesirable Foreigners |
Form 2:
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Dear Mr. John Doe,
Is it not one of life's great pleasures to hear the happy chirruping of the early crickets of summer? We look forward to many pleasant days of warmth and sunshine.
We wish to extend to you the warmest appreciation of our heartfelt sentiments, and to express our fervent wish to experience an ever deepening closeness as the years pass. To further this end, we would be most grateful if you would permit us to view your fingerprints, photograph. and anti-terrorism certificate. We regret to inform you that a modest payment of $310 will also be required. We apologise for this imposition, and hope that it does not cause you too much inconvenience.
We trust that this letter reaches you in good health, and that you and all your kin are robust.
Your humble servant,
Tanaka
Assistant secretary to The Happy Sunshine Guest Welcoming Committee |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 4:56 am Post subject: |
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Are you in fact a terrorist?
"We respectfully ask that terrorists refrain from traveling to Japan. Thank you for your cooperation." |
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