The GW International Services Office has received reports that F-1 and J-1 international students at GW have been targeted by scammers pretending to be representatives of USCIS and other U.S. government agencies. Please exercise caution any time you receive a call, email, or other communication from a government agency or university representative.
If you receive any such phone calls, we recommend hanging up the phone immediately. If you receive an email, do not reply to or click on any links in the email. Instead, please alert the ISO and report the incident to [email protected] as well as https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
Here are some common signs that you are being targeted by a scammer:
- If you are asked for personal information or payment over the phone
- If you are asked to urgently provide information or complete a task
- If at any point you are asked to purchase gift cards of any kind
- If the caller sounds agitated or angry
- If a caller or email threatens you with deportation or visa cancellation
- If you are sent an email which contains a zipped or compressed attachment, or even standard attachments
If you are unsure if you are being targeted by a scammer, please reach out to the ISO and [email protected] for assistance. We are always happy to help you check.