The Department of Immigration and Citizenship in Adelaide has cancelled the tourist visas of a group of illegal workers claiming to be art students, who have allegedly been selling mass-produced art at highly inflated prices.
Over the past week, 10 Israelis departed Australia following cancellation of their visas for working in breach of visa conditions. The remaining member of the group is finalising her arrangements to depart shortly.
The group is suspected of being part of an international network which has conducted similar scams in many other countries. Numerous Internet chat-rooms have been launched by people aggrieved about their purchases.
Complaints allege the artworks are purchased in bulk through the Internet for sums of about $US5. The artworks are then sold for up to $200 by people claiming to have painted them.
The South Australian Government was also aware of the group’s activities and last year warned consumers not to purchase the paintings.
Immigration compliance officers recently visited two addresses in the Adelaide suburbs of Fulham and Fulham Gardens where they located the group.
All were interviewed and their visas were cancelled.
A DIAC spokesman said the operation was the result of nine months’ investigation by Adelaide compliance officers.
“We first became aware of the group’s activities last September and it has been a complex process to track down their location and target them in a field operation,” the spokesman said.
“All these people were in Australia on visitor visas that did not entitle them to work.
“When our officers arrived at the addresses, the group was preparing to depart in vans containing about 350 so-called works of art. DIAC’s involvement related to a suspicion these people had been working illegally. This investigation has involved other agencies and we have reported our findings to South Australian Police and the Office of Fair Trading.
“The individuals all face a three-year exclusion period from Australia,” the spokesman added.
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