F-1 visa holders, beware! Fake calls scam students amid deportation fears

Foreign students in US, beware! Scammers are posing as immigration officers. The FBI has issued a warning about a scam targeting foreign students in the United States, with students from the Middle East and India being among those contacted by fraudsters posing as federal officials.

 

Flag points:

 

* Scammers impersonate US immigration officers or foreign diplomats

* Students are told they’ve violated visa conditions and must pay fines

* Fake calls appear to come from agencies like DHS and USCIS

* Victims are directed to fraudulent websites to steal money or data

 

Students holding valid visas, particularly those on F-1 student status, are being contacted by individuals claiming there are problems with their immigration records. According to the FBI, the calls often appear to come from legitimate US government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, or Homeland Security Investigations.

 

 

“Criminal scammers impersonate US and foreign government officials claiming there is an issue with the student’s immigration status and exploit this for financial gain,” the FBI said in its alert.

 

The scam has primarily affected students from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan. In these cases, the victims receive a phone call warning them that they have violated the conditions of their student visa or are facing other legal issues.

 

The callers then demand payment—often for legal or immigration services, university fees, or to resolve supposed visa breaches. Some are directed to fake government websites, created to steal money or personal information.

 

In some versions of the scam, the fraudsters pose as diplomats or foreign government officials. “In some instances, the scammers vary this scheme by presenting themselves as government officials from foreign countries, including UAE and Qatar. Diplomats from the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, have been impersonated as well,” the FBI noted.

 

Indian students also targeted

 

Indian nationals have also been targeted in similar scams. In March, the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, issued an advisory warning about fake calls using the Embassy’s official number—202-939-7000—or other numbers that appear linked to the Embassy.

 

“Some of these calls are shown as being from the Embassy telephone numbers (202-939-7000) while others simply use Embassy identity,” the advisory said.

 

The fraudsters claim there are issues with passports, visa forms, or other documents, and pressure victims to share sensitive information or pay money.

 

“These fraudsters either seek personal information like credit card details etc. or try to extort money from Indian nationals by inter alia claiming that there are errors in their passports, visa forms, immigration forms etc. which could be rectified by paying money, and at the same time warning that the so-called errors, if not rectified, could result in deportation of the individual to India or their imprisonment in US,” the Embassy said.

 

What to do if you receive a scam call? According to the USCIS:

 

1. Do not share personal or financial information

2. Do not send money in response to such calls

3. Report the incident to your university’s international student office or the local police

4. Verify any concerns directly with official government websites or agencies

 

These scams are emerging at a time when immigration enforcement in the US has increased. Since January 20, 2025, the Trump administration has deported thousands of undocumented immigrants, and scammers appear to be exploiting these fears to target students.