The FBI says a new scam by cybercriminals targeting Middle Eastern students who lawfully reside in the US is growing rampant. Fraudsters are impersonating government officials in an attempt to convince students that there is an issue with their immigration or visa status. To rectify the problem, and avoid prosecution or deportation, potential victims are asked to pay legal, university and paperwork processing fees.
Scammers are smart, and are known to take advantage of current events to craft believable cons. This particular swindle comes amid efforts by the Trump administration to ramp up the deportation of undocumented immigrants. Students have also faced threats of visa removal in response to participation in Israel-Hamas war protests on college campuses across the country.
Students from Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been targeted in the scam so far, according to an alert from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Scammers are impersonating agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) or US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In some cases, scammers have identified themselves as foreign government officials from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the UAE Embassy in Washington.
"They may speak professionally and use the accents and/or language matching the purported location of the callers," IC3 said in the alert. It did not specify how much fraudsters have been charging students. However, according to the FBI's latest annual fraud report, victims lost $405 million to government impersonation scams last year.
How to protect yourself from this new scam
The first step to protecting yourself against a scam is knowing about it. So, if you're reading this, you can check that box.
The FBI said you should always be skeptical of any unsolicited government communication. If this happens, begin by verifying the validity of the call or message by contacting the agency yourself with a number or email found on its website.
You should take time to analyze any links that scammers send you. Make sure links are encrypted with standard "https" encryption and the URL reads as you would expect. For example, URLs should end in ".gov" not "gov.org" and should also not be a random combination of letters and numbers. That is a clear red flag.
Finally, do not download files or provide any unsolicited caller two-factor authentication codes, the FBI says.
What if I fall victim to this immigration scam?
If you ended up paying the scammers, you should contact your bank, credit union or credit card company right away. Your financial institution may be able to cancel the transaction in time or give you your money back.
It's also common for scammers to ask for payment via cryptocurrency and gift cards regardless of the scam. Crypto payments are basically irreversible, but contacting a gift card issuer can potentially lead to a refund.
The FBI has asked the public to report any fraudulent or suspicious activity at www.ic3.gov. Reporting scams to the agency helps it inform the public and assists law enforcement with tracking down criminals.
