The FBI has issued an alert on a wave of phishing attacks targeting Middle Eastern students who are studying in the US.
The campaign has targeted students from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan. The scammers impersonate government officials and claim there is an issue with the student’s visa.
“Scammers contact foreign students lawfully studying in the United States, or who are in the process of coming to the United States and impersonate government or immigration officials claiming the student is out of status for violations of F-1 student visa requirements or otherwise facing immigration issues,” the FBI says.
“Victims are threatened with prosecution or deportation and asked to pay an unknown entity or bank account to process immigration paperwork, pay university registration fees, or pay a legal fee.”
The criminals pose as officials from various US agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), or US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). They’ve also impersonated government officials from the students’ home countries.
“Scammers may spoof the phone number of government agencies, foreign embassies, or universities,” the FBI says. “They may speak professionally and use the accents and/or language matching the purported location of the callers.”
The Bureau concludes that students should hang up and contact the impersonated agency directly.
“Beware of unsolicited communication from someone purporting to be from the government, especially by phone,” the FBI writes. “Verify you are speaking with a government official by hanging up and contacting the office through a third-party obtained number (eg. web search for legitimate contact information), then asking for the agent or department you were speaking with.”
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