LONDON — What was supposed to be a life-changing move to the United Kingdom has turned into a nightmare for Joseph Moyo, a 45-year-old Zimbabwean father of two, after he was scammed out of £28,000 by a fellow countryman in a fake Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) job deal.
Joe, who sold his cattle, borrowed from relatives, and even sold his late father’s plot in Gweru to raise the money, thought he had finally secured his future. A fellow Zimbabwean “agent” living in the UK promised him a legal job in the care sector and a valid CoS — the key document required to get a UK work visa.
But when Joe arrived in London earlier this year, he was hit with the devastating truth: the CoS was fake. His visa application was immediately rejected, leaving him stranded, broke, and undocumented.
“I trusted him because he was Zimbabwean like me,” Joe said in a viral TikTok video recorded outside a homeless shelter near King’s Cross. “Now I have nothing — no job, no home, and my family back home still thinks I’m living the dream.”
Advocacy groups in the UK have since taken up his case, with lawyers calling for urgent action against the growing black market of fake CoS deals. The Zimbabwean Embassy in London has also issued a warning to citizens, urging them to verify employers with the UK Home Office before making any payments.
“I made a mistake, but I’m sharing my story so no one else goes through this pain,” Joe said, his voice breaking. “If my suffering can save even one person, maybe it won’t be for nothing.”
