BEWARE: Immigration Scam Calls

As of June 4, 2019, reports are coming in of illegitimate scam calls being made to legal immigrants. The caller ID displays legitimate Customs Border Protection (CBP) phone numbers (both 802-872-6050 and 240-542-4478) to frighten the individual. The caller will insist that the applicant in question has not filed an AR-11 form (used to report Change of Address to the USCIS). If the applicant claims to have completed the form already, then the scammer will insist that there was an update to the application that needs more attention. If that claim is further contested, the scammer will then threaten legal action against the applicant and their family. One report stated that the applicant told the scammer that they needed to call their lawyer, to which the scammer began threatening legal action again.

There are also reports of calls coming from legitimate CBP phone numbers of scammers claiming to be assigned to resolve applicants’ cases. This may not seem like a scam, but the caller will ask the applicant to buy gift cards at major retailers. This should be a major indication of a scam. The calls have also been known to repeat or be continuous, especially if the person receiving the call is not reacting in the scammer’s desired way. The caller may threaten police action or may claim that the police are on their way, but this is another fear tactic. If the applicant has done nothing wrong and filed all the forms needed, there should be no concern.

Check out our Immigration Law Practice at www.visaserve.com