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International students are sometimes targeted by scammers. Be aware of these common scam techniques to help protect yourself.

Be aware that scammers:

• Try to confuse you by complicating the immigration process;
• Use social media, email, or phone calls to conduct their attacks; and
• Impersonate government officials to manipulate the victim into giving out personal information.

Be cautious of:

• Emails that look legitimate, but are sent by people you don’t know;
• Emails with typos and incorrect spellings;
• E-mails that do not end in .gov and end in (.net, .org, .com, or .info for example)
• Suspicious emails you don’t normally receive;
• Offers of assistance to expedite your case for money;
• Promises of a quick benefit; and
• Downloading or opening attachments from senders you don’t recognize.; and
• Requests from USCIS to transfer money to an individual or pay fees other than through your myUSCIS account

Threatening calls

If someone claiming to be a government or law enforcement official calls you, don't give them any personal or financial information and hang up right away. Scammers might try to scare you into staying on the line by threatening legal action such as arrest or deportation. Don't fall for it—it's just a tactic to keep you talking.Ìý

• Real government or immigration officials will never call you to ask for personal information; they will never threaten you over the phone.
• If you are unsure, contact ISSS for help.

Employment scams

If you are applying for jobs and posted your resume and contact information online, be mindful of the risks. Scammers often exploit such information.

To determine if an offer is a scam, look out for typos or errors or an offer that is ‘too good to be true.’ Review the Student Employment webpage on Job Scams.

If you are looking for on-campus employment, positions are listed in Handshake and can be accessed on the Student Employment Office’s website.Ìý

Requests for payment by gift cards

No reputable business or government agency will request a gift card as payment. .

Requests for payment by phone or email

The government will never ask you to transfer money to an individual. They do not accept Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, or Venmo as payment for immigration fees. In addition, they will never ask you to pay fees to a person on the phone or by email. You can pay some immigration fees online, but only if you pay through your and Pay.gov.

Phishing

Some scammers may send an email or text that looks like it’s from a company you know (e.g., bank, credit card, utility company, online payment website, app). This is called . While real companies might communicate with you by email, legitimate companies won’t email or text to request personal information or send a link asking you to update payment information.

Spoofing

Some scammers manipulate caller ID technology so that it appears they are calling from a legitimate office or agency (e.g., FBI, IRS, USCIS, DHS, ICE, police). This is called . If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement or on the company's or government agency's website to verify the authenticity of the request.

Did you receive a suspicious email regarding your immigration status?

Forward it to the USCIS webmaster email box at the USCIS Webmaster email box.ÌýTheir webmaster can confirm whether an email is a scam or not and provide useful information on how to report it. The webmaster cannot answer immigration questions.

Reporting scams

ISSS encourages you to report the scam to the local police in addition to any of the following offices: 

• (if applicable)
• (if applicable) 

If you released any information to a scam caller

Contact the following on-campus offices to seek additional support or assistance: 

• Office of Victim Assistance (OVA)
• Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS)
• (¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ PD)

If you paid a scammer

Immediately contact the company you used to send the money, report the fraud, and ask to have the transaction reversed, if possible. For specific advice on how to reverse different types of payments, read .

For more information, review the ISSS webpage on Scams and .