Published: Nov. 3, 2020

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have received reports recently that individual(s) posing as ICE officials are contacting people with a nexus to the immigration system (LPRs, students in F-1 status, etc.) and claiming that there is a problem with their I-94 form. 

The scammer offers a choice to the victims – either self-report to their local jail and face deportation, or pay the caller money to solve the issue.  

The scammers have both impersonated actual ICE officials and spoofed real ICE phone numbers, and directed the caller to ICE.gov to verify.  

In some cases, they’ve even impersonated local jail officials or spoofed local jail phone numbers to continue the ruse. The scammer will then direct the victim to transfer money via cash app such as Venmo.

Beware of ICE Imposters

If you receive a threatening call or message from someone claiming to be a government or law enforcement official:

  • Do not 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 ISSS and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line. 

Reporting Scams
In addition to reporting a scam to the local police department and our ISSS office, you can also report a scam to the following offices:

If you are the target of a scam, you may want to contact the following on-campus offices to seek additional support or assistance:

Additional Resources

More Information About Scams

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