There have been recent reports of a new tactic used to trick immigration applicants and petitioners into releasing personal information and paying money to scam artists. The scammer calls the victim’s telephone and poses as a USCIS officer. At the same time the scammer “spoofs” the victim’s telephone Caller ID system to display that the call originated from USCIS. The scammer then asks for personal information, for example Social Security and passport numbers, dates of birth, etc., explains there are “issues” with the victim’s immigration filing or records, and then asks for money to correct these records and threatens with deportation or application/petition denial if the victim refuses to pay.
Do not fall for this scam. USCIS officers will never ask for payments or personal information over the telephone. You should always be alert and suspicious of people who claim to be working for the federal government and who ask you to make a money transfer or go to a store to make any type of payment to a personal account. Report such scams to the Federal Trade Commission and the appropriate state authorities.