Over 200 Zimbabweans have fallen prey to an immigration scam operated by a company called Wise Wave Zoo, based in Lublin, Poland. Victims of this scam are located in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. Wise Wave has been operating from four offices: one in Johannesburg, South Africa, another in Gweru, Zimbabwe, a third in Harare, and the main office in Lublin, Poland, where the founder, Davies, and his wife reside.
Originally, Wise Wave was known for helping students in Poland obtain Temporary Residence cards. In 2022, the company expanded its services to recruit international immigrants for Polish work visas. However, due to delays at the embassy, it became difficult for both students and workers to secure appointment dates. Many applicants paid over $500 to the company to process their papers but received nothing in return. They were promised work permits within three months, but the company failed to deliver.
By November 2023, it had become extremely challenging to get appointment dates at the Polish Consulate in Pretoria. Despite this, Wise Wave continued to collect money from applicants, promising to secure dates. By February 2024, many applicants realized they were not going to get appointments and began demanding refunds. In response, the company issued fake permits to over 20 applicants. One mother of three described saving all her money to make this dream come true, only to travel from Zimbabwe to South Africa for an embassy appointment and discover her permit was fake.
Mr. Morgan, one of Wise Wave’s accountants, was unavailable for comment. He has been accused by applicants of taking their money and failing to provide any updates. The company has collected over $100,000 from these customers, and it is unlikely that this money will be repaid as nearly a year has passed since the issue began.
One man shared how he left Zimbabwe for South Africa in search of better opportunities and saw this as a chance to improve his life by moving to Europe. He was even given the option to apply for a Czech Republic visa when issues with Polish visas worsened, but he has received no feedback regarding his money.
Zimcelebs reached out to Davies, the CEO of Wise Wave, who advised people to be patient, claiming they would eventually receive their money or permits. However, he has since become unreachable for further comment.
The company promised to refund all applicants, but over six months have passed, and no refunds have been issued. A 46-year-old woman studying at a tertiary university in Zimbabwe explained that she saw this as an opportunity to further her studies abroad. She dropped out of her studies in Zimbabwe to pursue this route but remains waiting with no hope. The Wise Wave office in Gweru is reportedly closed, and CEO Davies has not been responding to calls from the victims.
