It has come to our attention that there is a new scam targeting international students. There are no reports of UW students falling victims to this scam but we are sharing this information so that you can protect yourself. This is what we know:
- The scammers are disguising their phone numbers as if it is a local ICE phone number (known as spoofing), so when someone receives a call, the number will show as “ICE” or “Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” These callers are not ICE officers
- If the person answers the phone, the scammers will tell them that their status is in jeopardy and that they must pay money to fix it. This is not how you resolve status violations – if you are ever concerned about your status, contact ISS
Please remember that ICE or any other government official will never call you and ask for money. Scammers tend to use official terms that will make it seem that they are a government agency, which is why student believe them—this is not the case.
If you receive a call like this, please do the following:
- Hang up immediately.
- Report the call to the anonymous ICE tip line at 1-866-347-2423.
- Report the call to the UW Police Department (UWPD) at their non-emergency line, (206) 685-UWPD (8973).
- Reach out to the ISS Office if you want to confirm your student status or to ask any questions that you might have.
Please stay alert and be safe