Albanian gangs target UK mums-to-be in plot to register illegal migrants as the dad
ALBANIAN gangsters are targeting mums-to-be willing to register migrants as the father of their unborn children, an investigation by The Sun has found.
TikTok adverts are touting for women prepared to have a refused asylum seeker’s name on their baby’s birth certificate so he can dodge deportation by claiming he has a UK family.
We can reveal the ruse as figures show the number of small-boat migrants crossing the English Channel so far this year has topped 5,400, a new record.
During our investigation, we found one TikTok account, which has since been removed, calling itself “Zyra Konsullore Londer” — meaning “Consular Services London”.
It boasts: “Our job continues every day. We have women with children. Register their children with your name in the UK.”
The gangsters share the image of a WhatsApp conversation saved to a mobile phone between them and “Katy with child”.
In it, “Katy” sends a picture of a scan of a baby, to which the gang member replies: “Wow, he looks so good and strong. Way to go we can’t wait to see him.”
She replies: “Yea, everything’s ok”. The crook responds: “Good. I will let the client know.”
An insider in the Albanian community in the UK told The Sun: “A deal is made between the broker and a British woman.
“Under the agreement, when the baby is born the name of an Albanian illegal migrant is written on the birth certificate.
“Then using human rights laws, this person applies for the permission to stay.
“It’s a new way to secure leave to remain in the UK and is used by people whose asylum has been refused by the Home Office and are due to be deported any time.”
On Facebook we found a person on a group for Albanians in Britain looking to pose as a stepfather.
They state: “If a woman is divorced and has a child 6 years old and I can do the papers as step-father.
“If that will be possible hook me up with a good solicitor.”
Baby’s ok? Good. I will let the client know
Trafficker
A Home Affairs Select Committee decision in June last year to declare Albania a “safe” country helps explain the ploys.
In the first three months of this year, 700 were deported back to their homeland.
Home Office figures, meanwhile, show 13,714 Albanians applied for asylum in the year to March 2023.
They are the nationality most likely to do so.
The flood of migrants continues, however, with 3,180 arriving from all countries just last month.
Some 5,435 in 114 boats have been intercepted so far this year, the Border Force transporting 442 of them to the Dover on Easter Sunday.
The soaring numbers have piled more pressure on Rishi Sunak who has pledged to stop the boats.
The PM’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda will return to Parliament in the coming days and the government hopes to gets flights off the ground within weeks.
Labour shadow immigration minister, Stephen Kinnock said the PM’s plan was “in tatters”.
He said a rise in crossings meant “there is a major tragedy waiting to happen”.
A Home Office spokesman said: “Immigration fraud using false birth certificates is a serious offence which is why we have measures in place to prevent and detect it.”