US visa scammers targeting immigrants again

Media reports are warning that immigrants applying for visas to enter the USA are again being targeting by scammers posing as immigration officials.

The scammers are obtaining the phone numbers of would-be immigrants who have applied for visas to enter the USA and demanding personal information and money in addition to fees already paid for visa processing. The caller states he or she is from the US Citizenship and Immigration Service, and knows the victim’s name, address and even the type of visa applied for.

The victim is told that a new government charge for visa applications has been introduced, and must be paid immediately by bank transfer or the application will be automatically denied. The caller may threaten deportation or arrest, or ask for confidential information or a passport number in order to ‘check’ the victim’s file for issues.

Suspicious recipients of a scam call may check caller ID, but a Google search will show the phone number is listed as belonging to the USCIS offices. This is the new twist in the scam, and it appears that scammers have spoofed the immigration office’s number and recreated the phone tree to lend credibility to the fraud.

US immigration officials are advising all visa applicants that USCIS will never ask for payments via a phone call. Recipients should simply hang up without giving out any personal details, immediately block the number and call immigration on 1-800-275-5283 to be told the next steps.