New Scam Targeting Vulnerable Segments of Community
By Fatima Dadabhoy

In the wake of recent news about a new scam targeting vulnerable segments of our community, CAIR-LA's civil rights department feels compelled to notify you of the details of this scam and how to protect either yourself or your loved ones from it. 

In recent weeks, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) learned of a new telephone scam targeting USCIS applicants and petitioners. Scammers are using a technique called “Caller ID spoofing” to display a misleading or inaccurate phone number in a recipient’s Caller ID. The scammer poses as a USCIS official and requests personal information (such as Social Security number, passport number, or A-number), identifies supposed issues in the recipient’s immigration records, and asks for payment to correct these records.

 If you receive a call like that, USCIS urges you to say “No, thank you” and hang up immediately.
 USCIS never asks for any form of payment or personal information over the phone. Donot give payment or personal information over the phone to anyone who claims to be a USCIS official. In general, we encourage you to protect your personal information and not to provide details about your immigration application in any public area.
 If you have been a victim of this telephone scam, USCIS requests that you report it to the Federal Trade Commission by clicking here , or report it to an appropriate state authority. ( Click here  for information on where to report scams in your state.)
 If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact CAIR-LA's civil rights department at 714.776.1177. ( The writer is Civil Rights Manager, CAIR-LA)

 

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