Immigration Scam: Be Cautious

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a warning advising of a telephone scam intended to victimize foreign nationals. The new twist in this particular scam is the use of technology to falsify caller ID information and, thus, make the foreign national believe that the call is from a U.S. government official.

Scam Details: Caller ID Spoofing

According to the USCIS, unscrupulous individuals, posing as USCIS employees, are utilizing a practice known as caller ID spoofing to display a false phone number on the recipient’s telephone. The caller requests personal information from the individual and, then, claims that there are problems with the individual’s immigration records. The caller next advises that payment is needed in order to resolve the particular issues.

USCIS Never Asks for Payment by Telephone

The USCIS wants the public to be assured that the agency never requests any form of payment or personal information via telephone. MurthyDotCom readers are reminded to be on the alert for any such calls. Those who may have been victimized by this scam or similar scams should consider reporting such activity to the appropriate local, state, or federal law enforcement agency.

Conclusion

Because immigrants are naturally less familiar with the rules and customs of the United States, fraudsters have long targeted them using various schemes. However, the tactics used by con artists change over time, and such deceitful criminals will inevitably find new, underhanded ways to utilize technology to make money off of the hard work of others. The Murthy Law Firm will continue to alert readers to the existence of new methods being used to take advantage of foreign nationals.

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