Phone Scam Targets USCIS Petitioners and Applicants

August 20, 2013

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has just released a warning regarding 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.

As a reminder, 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.  Always protect your personal information and do not provide details about your immigration application in any public area.

If you have been a victim of this telephone scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission , or report it to an appropriate state authority. (Click here for information on where to report scams in your state.)

If you have a question about your immigration record, the USCIS recommends that you call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283, or make an InfoPass appointment.

 

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