DUNSTABLE, UK – A Zimbabwean husband and wife have been unmasked as the alleged masterminds of a shocking immigration scam that preyed on desperate job seekers dreaming of a better life in Britain.
Tatenda Mavhunga (42) and Linda Mavhunga (34), known in their local community as “hardworking care home owners,” are accused of secretly running a black-market operation selling fake Certificates of Sponsorship (COS) for up to £12,000 per person.
The couple allegedly promised guaranteed care home jobs, accommodation, and a fast-track UK work visa. But investigators say it was all a lie – with some victims arriving in the UK only to be dumped with no job, no home, and no way to survive.
Last week, stunned neighbours watched as immigration enforcement officers swarmed the Mavhungas’ gated Dunstable home, seizing luxury cars, passports, laptops, and stacks of forged job contracts. Authorities also froze bank accounts believed to hold hundreds of thousands of pounds from the alleged scam.
A Home Office official called it “one of the most brazen and heartless employment scams we’ve seen in years,” adding that victims were “left broke, stranded, and humiliated.”
The Mavhungas are expected to face multiple counts of fraud, money laundering, and immigration offences when they appear at Luton Crown Court next month.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean social media is on fire, with some calling the pair “The Visa Vendors of Dunstable” while others joked, “Next time, just try the UK job website like the rest of us!”
