Visa Lawyer Blog
Several clients reported recently of strange calls received asking for money to fix incorrect immigration info. The clients were very worried since the caller ID had an official call back ID. Now we know this is a big scam. AILA reported recently that USCIS issued an alert about this fraud.
In recent weeks, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) learned of a new telephone
scam targeting USCIS applicants and petitioners. Scammers are using a technique called “Caller ID spoofing” to display a misleading or inaccurate phone number in a recipient’s Caller ID. The scammer poses as a USCIS official and requests personal information (such as Social Security number, passport number, or A-number), identifies supposed issues in the recipient’s immigration records, and asks for payment to correct these records.
If you receive a call like that, USCIS urges you to say “No, thank you” and hang up immediately. USCIS never asks for any form of payment or personal information over the phone. Do not give payment or personal information over the phone to anyone who claims to be a USCIS official. In general, we encourage you to protect your personal information and not to provide details about your immigration application in any public area.
Be careful out there. Be sure to report any fraud to the USCIS.
