No contribution, unofficial or personal payment, intermediary, connection, or promise can buy, guarantee, fast-track, or improperly influence an official protection, immigration, detention, visa, or resettlement decision.
Never pay for an official outcome
UNHCR states that its services and partner services are free. Operation Siam never charges a person seeking assistance. Contributions support organizational work and do not affect assistance eligibility or any individual case.
What payment cannot buy
- UNHCR registration, an interview, refugee recognition, a card, or a resettlement referral.
- National Screening Mechanism access, “Protected Person” status, or a favorable decision.
- A visa, work permit, lawful stay, release from detention, bail approval, halted deportation, or extradition outcome.
- A place in a third-country queue, sponsorship, embassy appointment, family-reunification approval, or travel document.
- Priority access to Operation Siam assistance, a confidential case channel, or influence over another institution.
A legitimate fee pays for a defined process or service—not an outcome
Verified government or administrative fees, lawful professional fees, and official bail payments may exist. Confirm the legal basis, authorized recipient, amount, and receipt through an independent official channel. None of these payments guarantees approval, release, protection status, a visa, or resettlement.
Warning signs
Guarantee
The person promises a country, document, interview, release, or date that only an authority can decide.
Secrecy
The person demands cash, cryptocurrency, gift cards, a personal transfer, or a hidden “facilitation” payment.
Borrowed authority
The person uses a logo, badge, title, email look-alike, or photograph to imply affiliation that cannot be verified independently.
Pressure
The person says the opportunity will vanish immediately or threatens the case if payment, documents, or recruitment do not follow.
Respond without increasing risk
- Stop the transaction and do not send more documents.
- Preserve the minimum useful evidence: date, account, message, amount, receipt, and claimed affiliation.
- Verify the institution through its own website or published contact route.
- Report through the relevant institution’s fraud or complaint route and, when appropriate, a qualified local authority or adviser.
- Do not circulate the affected person’s identity or case publicly.
Sources and further reading
- UNHCR Thailand — Registration and documents — States that UNHCR and partner services are free.
- UNHCR Thailand — Resettlement — Official guidance on selection limits and fraud.
- UNHCR Thailand — Complaints and reporting fraud — Official reporting route for UNHCR-related concerns.
External links are provided for verification and further reading. A citation does not imply endorsement, partnership, or control by the cited institution.
Corrections: If this page is incomplete or inaccurate, contact info@deganation.org with the article title and the source supporting the correction. Do not email identity documents or sensitive case records.