The FBI is warning the public about a fraud scheme targeting foreign individuals lawfully residing in the United States on valid student visas. Criminal scammers impersonate US and foreign government officials claiming there is an issue with the student's immigration status and exploit this for financial gain. Thus far, we are aware scammers have targeted students from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan.
How The Scheme Works
Scammers contact foreign students lawfully studying in the United States, or who are in the process of coming to the United States and impersonate government or immigration officials claiming the student is out of status for violations of F-1 student visa requirements or otherwise facing immigration issues. Victims are threatened with prosecution or deportation and asked to pay an unknown entity or bank account to process immigration paperwork, pay university registration fees, or pay a legal fee.
These scammers represent themselves as agents from Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), or US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to increase the credibility of the scam.
In some instances, the scammers vary this scheme by presenting themselves as government officials from foreign countries, including UAE and Qatar. Diplomats from the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, have been impersonated as well.
Scammers have also used fictitious names that sound like government agencies, impersonate US universities, and send links to fake websites.
Scammers may spoof the phone number of government agencies, foreign embassies, or universities. They may speak professionally and use the accents and/or language matching the purported location of the callers.
In 2024, government impersonation fraud schemes such as this cost the American public over $405 million in losses from over 17,000 complaints. Victims are often asked to pay a fee because of the scam via cryptocurrency, prepaid card/gift cards, or wire transfers.
Tips to Protect Yourself
- Beware of unsolicited communication from someone purporting to be from the government, especially by phone. Verify you are speaking with a government official by hanging up and contacting the office through a third-party obtained number (eg. web search for legitimate contact information), then asking for the agent or department you were speaking with.
- Verify that the website visited is a secure or encrypted site, as government websites are.
- Repeating top level domains in a URL is a common scam to make a website appear legitimate (e.g. "gov.org" in a URL is a spoof of the .gov top level domain).
- Do not provide information on the phone until you verify the identity of the caller.
- If you believe you are the target of a government impersonation scam targeting foreign students, gather all relevant documentation and contact diplomatic security at your home country's embassy, the FBI, or Bureau of Diplomatic Security at the Department of State.
- Do not give anyone a two-factor authentication code used to log-in to an account or device.
- Do not download files to your phone or computer unless you have verified the source.
Report It
The FBI requests the public report these fraudulent or suspicious activities to the FBI at www.ic3.gov. Be sure to include as much information as possible:
- The name of the person or company that contacted you, the government agency they purport to be with, and their purported location.
- Dates, times, and location of communication and payments.
- Methods of communication used, including websites, emails, and telephone numbers.
- Any applications you may have downloaded or provided permissions to on your electronic device.
- Payment information provided to you and documentation of funds sent.
- Do not delete records of text conversations or emails as these may be requested by law enforcement.
- Contact your bank immediately to attempt to recall any identified fraudulent wire transfers and ask the bank to contact the FBI to start the Financial Fraud Kill Chain.