U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today sent out an alert warning that immigrants across the country are being targeted by telephone scams.
Scammers are calling immigrants on the phone posing as government officials and telling them there is a problem with their immigration documentation or file.
Sometimes they have personal information about the immigrant that they use to make the victim believe it is a legitimate call.
During the calls, they ask for personal information and demand immediate payment to correct the problem and threaten people with deportation if they do not pay through electronic money transfers.
Some of these scammers are using special software that makes it appear that the call is coming from the USCIS toll-free line.
If they are not found at the time of the call, some scammers leave a message for you to call an 800 number similar to the USCIS number.
USCIS is warning all immigrants about phone scams and reminds them that its officers almost never make phone calls, and that they NEVER ask for payments to be made over the phone.
If any processing requires a fee, the USCIS will send a letter by mail on official letterhead requesting payment. If you have any doubts that the letter is legitimate, or want to verify that there are no problems with your immigration file, you can call the Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283.
If you receive such a call, hang up the phone and report it immediately to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
For more information on how to avoid scams, visit www.uscis.gov/eviteestafas or www.uscis.gov/avoidscams for information on where to report scams in your state.
