In April 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an alert to warn the public that the OIG Hotline telephone was used in a scam targeting foreign nationals to reveal personal information. OIG never uses its Hotline number to make outgoing calls and people should never provide personal information during calls allegedly coming from the OIG Hotline. Anyone who believes he/she may have been a victim of this telephone scam should either call the OIG Hotline (1-800-323-8603) or file a complaint online at www.oig.dhs.gov.

Additionally, there are numerous websites posing as official government websites. Unless a website contains a “.gov” suffix, it is not an official government website.

If you ever receive a call claiming to be from a U.S. government official (such as an immigration officer), please remember the following:

1. Never provide payment information over the phone. The U.S. government will never request payment from you over the telephone, and be especially suspicious of a request for payment in unconventional ways, such as gift cards.
2. Never provide personal or sensitive information over the phone. Examples include things like your Social Security Number, I-94 number, birthday, passport number. If you are unsure whether the caller is legitimate, ask for his/her name and call-back number.
3. Do not be fooled by misleading Caller ID information. Many scammers are able to make the Caller ID function display a legitimate looking name. Never rely on Caller ID to verify a caller’s identity!
4. Do not give in to threats. If the caller gets hostile and threatens to have you arrested or deported, or to suspend your drivers license, do not believe it. These threats are not legitimate, and the scammers are trying to scare you into compliance.
5. Learn to recognize legitimate government communication: There may be circumstances in which a government official might contact you – if you called a USCIS or IRS Customer Service Center, an officer may return your call; USCIS and ICE officers might conduct an unannounced site visit, which is a routine form of investigation. A legitimate government official will always be able to provide his/her name, official identification and a real telephone number for verification purposes. When in doubt, contact International Employment for guidance as soon as possible.