Albanian gangs are paying corrupt police officers up to £2,600 for official letters to support asylum seekers' bids

By RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT Published: 00:49, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 00:49, 21 April 2026 Albanian asylum seekers are paying corrupt police officers to provide official letters supporting their applications, the Daily Mail can reveal.  Migrants from Albania often claim they have been threatened by criminals in their home country as a basis for seeking asylum in the UK.  Given these applications are likely to fail without any evidence, organised criminals have stepped in to offer a solution by leveraging corrupt officials on their payroll.  One gang, operating through a TikTok account called 'Pune të ndryshme Europe' (Different Jobs in Europe), has been directly advertising its services to Albanian migrants wanting to submit bogus asylum claims.  'For boys claiming asylum in Europe and the UK who need statements saying they are having problems in Albania, contact us via DM,' one of its posts read.  'We can obtain real statements from the state or hospitals saying you have been threatened in Albania. For more info, DM.' Using an Albanian mobile number, an undercover Daily Mail reporter pretended to have a relative in a UK detention centre who needed a police statement to support his asylum claim.  A response arrived in minutes offering a letter for €3,000 (£2,616).  One TikTok account told people claiming asylum who needed 'statements saying they are having problems in Albania' to 'contact us via DM'  A previous letter sent by the Albanian gang to our undercover reporter  The gang promised the document would state that the fictional cousin had been threatened in Albania and include a signature, stamp, and the full name of the police chief who issued it.  Asked for evidence of a letter that the gang had already produced, they sent one bearing the name of a police chief in the eastern city of Korçë.  More than 17,000 Albanians claimed asylum in the UK in 2022 before an agreement to speed up returns saw this figure plunge to 2,648 by 2024. The Home Office now considers the country safe and rejected 97 per cent of all claims in 2024, although some of these may have been successfully appealed.  The Mail's undercover reporter contacted the Different Jobs in Europe page earlier this year, writing: 'I have a relative in a detention centre in London.  'How can we get a statement to help him get out and claim asylum?' A gang member replied: 'Yes, we can make a statement saying he has problems in Albania. It will cost €3,000.' Asked by the reporter who the statement would be issued by, the anonymous user said it would be issued by 'the police' and include a 'signature, stamp, and the full name of the police chief who issues it'. The gang member asked for half the money up front and the rest after the statement had been received.  Your browser does not support iframes. Asked to provide an example of an earlier statement, they sent a sample document claiming to have been issued by the 'General Directorate of the Albanian State Police' at Korçë police station.  The letter read: 'We confirm that the married couple [names hidden] appeared at the Korçë Police Station on 25.11.2025 at 13:30, reporting an incident that occurred in Neighbourhood No. 8, Rruga Spase Pema. 'Acting of their own free will, they reported that three armed individuals assaulted them using firearms, causing injuries to their bodies and heads. 'We have identified one of the individuals involved in the violence, named [hidden], who demanded information about the whereabouts of their son [name hidden]. The attackers then fled the scene. As this crime occurred within the jurisdiction of the Korçë Police Station, the necessary investigations have been initiated in accordance with the law. This statement is issued at the request of the interested parties.' An expert on Albanian organised crime, who asked not to be named, said the bogus letters are the latest evidence of gangs attempting to trick Home Office officials.  'I am not surprised at all to see these statements are being sold to people claiming asylum in the UK,' the expert told the Mail.  'It is deeply concerning how these criminal groups have recruited officials within the Albanian State Police to issue such documents.'  The expert said bogus asylum seekers had previously paid Albanian newspapers to publish fake stories of persecution or threats to their lives.  'These articles were then submitted to the Home Office as part of asylum claims,' they added. The TikTok account has since been taken down.  The Mail previously exposed a scam that saw freelance interpreter Eglantina Legisi ask for £3,000 payments to spring illegal immigrants from detention Your browser does not support iframes. While it is now harder for Albanians to successfully claim asylum than in the past, plenty continue to try.  One common method is for applicants to claim they are involved in a 'blood feud', which sees a man obliged to kill a member of another family to avenge a previous slight or insult.  Others claim to be the victims of trafficking, domestic violence or discrimination based on their sexual orientation.  Last year, the Mail exposed a scam that saw a freelance interpreter ask for £3,000 payments to spring illegal immigrants from detention. Eglantina Legisi offered to provide fake guarantors that dupe judges into granting bail for illegal immigrants.  When an undercover reporter posing as the relative of an illegal immigrant in detention messaged her she said that, for a £3,000 payment plus £1,000 for the surety, he could hire another interpreter who also did work for the Home Office to act as a guarantor to vouch for him in a bail hearing.  She said her translation work for the Home Office meant she knew 'everything' about the immigration system.  TikTok said it does not allow content which displays or promotes human trafficking and smuggling, including facilitating or coordinating human smuggling acts and services.  Albania's Ministry of Interior claimed the letter appeared not to comply with 'standards for drafting official documents'. They claimed this meant it could not have been 'created by the institution of the State Police'.  A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Home Secretary has set out the most sweeping reforms on illegal migration in modern times, stripping away incentives drawing people here through unlawful routes and stepping up the return of individuals with no right to remain.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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