US Election Triggers Increase in Immigration Scams

With immigration being a hot topic during this year's election in the US, there was an increase in the number of border patrol and immigration scams seen by TNS' Robocall Protection team. Scammers have leveraged the topic by targeting people who are concerned about potential changes to their immigration status. Bad actors are reportedly placing threatening calls impersonating government agencies such as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

What are the Signs of Immigration Scams?

This scam could pose significant danger due to the level of fear that it can cause in someone and can potentially make them more vulnerable to falling victim to scams. The scammer will often threaten the targeted victim with deportation and instruct them to not speak with anybody about the situation. They may also falsely claim that ICE or USCIS are on their way to their house to make an arrest if payment is not made immediately. The scammers may also claim that a fee or immigration bond is due as further attempts to illicit funds from the victims.

There have also been reports of calls claiming that US Border Patrol found a parcel of illegal substances with the targeted victim's name on it. If you receive this call you should hang up immediately and report it to the FTC. According to the US Customs and Border Protection, these calls are always a scam as they do not make calls to threaten citizens about suspicious packages they found at the border.

How to Avoid Immigration Scams

According to the FTC, ICE and USCIS will never make unsolicited calls to demand immediate payment, and they never accept payments via cryptocurrency, gift cards or wire transfers. If either of the above is happening on a call claiming to be from ICE or USCIS, you can be positive that it's a scam. If you are ever unsure about a call or email from ICE or USCIS being legitimate, you should contact them via the phone numbers listed on their website to check, as the numbers provided by unsolicited calls may not be legitimate

It is best practice to never engage with unknown numbers and report phone numbers being used by scammers to your carrier. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, you can report it to your local police, state Attorney General's office and the FTC .

Call-blocking apps, including those powered by TNS Call Guardian ®, are also a great resource for reporting and blocking unwanted robocalls. Stay vigilant, share information about scams with others and be sure to check out our monthly Scam of the Month page updates.

John Haraburda is Product Lead for TNS Call Guardian® with specific responsibilities for TNS' Communications Market solutions.

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