Scam Warning
20 Jul 2012We at MurthyDotCom would like to pass this warning along to our readers. Word has come to us from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that there have been reports of a new scam potentially victimizing foreign nationals. According to one report, individuals receive phone calls purporting to be from USCIS officers, who know certain correct information about the individuals, including their names and addresses. The callers claim that there is a discrepancy in USCIS records, and ask for confirmation of data, such as I-94 numbers, “A” numbers, or visa control numbers. The callers then tell the victims that there is a penalty for the discrepancies, and instruct them to send payment via Western Union, to an address the caller provides.
Be on alert that for such calls. If you receive a call you suspect to be part of such a scam, report it to appropriate law enforcement authorities, which may include the FBI, and to the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, whose Consumer Sentinel database is accessed by criminal and civil law enforcement authorities worldwide.