It just never stops and we might as well get used to it. I’ve written a lot about the criminal activities of Canadian advance fee fraud scammer Morris Monte Friesner. I found him again causing trouble in Antigua and Barbuda. He became famous for a little while as a “source” in a deeply flawed “investigation” by Global Witness into Trump’s hotel deal in Panama (more on that later).
He is also the man behind the fake Panamanian diplomatic passport scam that involved Dutchman Geerling Offereins.
The latest, however, is that the Friesners — Monte together with his wife and accomplice Tatiana Nazarova, who had to run from Panama to avoid prosecution for mortgage fraud — have now reinvented themselves as immigration lawyers. Under the banner of Canada Immigration Experts, they tell the world that their team can help you with everything from obtaining student visas to “Humanitarian and Compassionate“. Note the typical Friesner-style bad writing on the page.
The first version of the websites for this immigration scheme featured the logo of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), which “is the national regulatory body that serves and protects the public by overseeing licensed immigration and citizenship consultants and international student advisors.”
However, neither Monte Friesner nor his wife are members of the ICCRC. A member of the public filed a complaint and the regulators, not amused by Friesner appearing to claim some kind of regulatory approval, told him to cease and desist using their name and reputation to appear legit.
Could it be that Friesner is sincerely and honestly making a fresh start after a lifelong career in crime? Nah.
Canada Immigration Experts has, of course, a Facebook page. And when I took a look, I saw that the recommendations for this outfit came from none other than Mr. Friesner and family himself. “Founders and managers are knowledgeable and straightforward to the point. Great service!” he writes. But, what service? Friesner is already a Canadian citizen.
It gets weirder. “Canada Immigration Experts is a wonderful group of Immigration Professionals who care about people,” is another recommendation, posted by Tatiana Nazarova. But on the page itself, Nazarova is featured as the figurehead of Canada Immigration Experts, telling us that Canada needs skilled workers. Client or principal? In Friesner’s world, who cares?
Last but not least: strange things also happen when you look up where the offices of this prestigious immigration law firm are. The address given on the website and Facebook is 4610 Dufferin Street, Toronto. What can I say?
Wanna see for yourself? Here’s the link. Be sure to have a look around the corner, where you can have your car pimped on the cheapo. I asked the Canadian immigration authorities why someone with a record like that of the Friesners would be allowed to hang themselves out as immigration lawyers, but haven’t received a reply yet.
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