A number of international students and scholars around the Bay Area (including UCSF) have been targeted by a phone “scam” involving someone claiming to be from a government agency.
A scam is when an individual pretends to be a government official and reaches out to you to request biographical, financial or social security information. In a recent scam, the person who answers the phone is told about an emergency situation that requires going to the bank and sending money to them. Please understand that U.S. government offices do not contact international students and scholars over the phone unless you have asked them to. More importantly, they will never ask you for your bank information or to wire them money over the phone.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, if you receive a call from someone claiming to be a government official, you should:
- Never give the person any personal or financial information
- Try to collect contact information from the caller
- End the conversation immediately if threats and intimidation persist
- Contact your international adviser and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line to report the scam.
Resources
- View Don't be fooled by a scam call, by Arizona State University
- View a sample scam call that a scammer made (on accident) to a North Carolina police captain