USCIS recently released a statement warning about fraudulent phone calls from individuals posing as USCIS officials. Using a technique called “Caller ID spoofing,” sophisticated scammers have been making calls using Caller ID aliases that display misleading or inaccurate phone numbers. During these phone calls, the scammers have been requesting personal information and identifying “issues” in the call recipient’s immigration records. They then make threats (e.g. deportation) and often demand that the call recipient makes a money transfer to correct these issues. Even worse, many of these scammers already possess the personal information of their targets.
Please note that USCIS never asks for any form of payment or personal information via telephone. In its statement, USCIS emphasized that you should never give payment or personal information over the phone to anyone claiming to be a USCIS official.
If you receive such a call, USCIS urges you to hang up immediately and report the call to USCIS. If you have already been a victim of this scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission at https://Users/davidlewis/Sites/berardi/app/public.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/, or report it to a state authority. Click here for information on where to report scams in your state.
If you seek further immigration counsel, please contact Berardi Immigration Law today to schedule a consult with one of our attorneys.
