People were warned yesterday to be on their guard against dishonest visa expediter service companies.

The United States Consulate said fraudsters had falsely claimed fees from uninformed customers. A spokeswoman said: “Individuals who use third parties to complete US non-immigrant visa applications should be aware that the US Government does not collect any visa fees online for applicants in Bermuda.

“While a third-party company may legitimately charge a service fee, the non-refundable visa application fee of $160 is to be paid directly by the applicant to the US Consulate on the day of the scheduled visa interview,” the spokeswoman explained.

• All information on applying for a visa in Bermuda can be found on the consulate’s website at https://bm.usconsulate.gov/visas. For questions about the visa application process, e-mail the Consulate at hamiltonconsulate@state.gov