While studying in the United States, make sure you understand how to recognize signs of scams that may put you at risk. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues to see several scams targeting international students, usually through the forms of phone calls or social media messages.

These scams occur when strangers, often impersonating government agency personnel, contact students and intimidate them by threatening their immigration status or university standing. Scammers then ask students to provide payment or personal information.

Make sure you understand the common scams and report suspicious contact to prevent harmful situations from occurring.

If you receive a threatening call or message from someone claiming to be a government or law enforcement official, you should:

• Guard your personal and financial information.
• Attempt to collect contact information from the caller.
• End the conversation immediately if threats and intimidation persist.

To learn more about avoiding common scams, check out this resource from ICE.gov.