Exclamation point icon and text reading Scam Alert

The International Students and Scholars Center wants to help you protect yourself from common scams that target international students seeking employment opportunities or who are currently on Optional Practical Training work authorization.

Students have started receiving emails that look like they are from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding Form AR-11 that is used to report an address change. The notification looks legitimate and contains a threat that forwarding the notice will lead to an arrest warrant and immediate action taken by U.S. Marshals. It further requests the recipient to call a number and register for a background check. This is a phishing scam. Do not be fooled.

If you receive an email or a phone call from an unknown person who claims to be a government official:

  • Do not give them any personal or financial information.
  • Do not give them any money, including funds from Google Pay, iTunes or Bitcoin accounts.
  • End the conversation immediately if you receive threats or intimidation.
  • Collect the emailer or caller’s contact information.
  • Contact the ISSC by phone or email.
  • Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.
  • Report the scam to ICE’s anonymous Homeland Security Investigations tip line.

Please remember that scammers often send emails from official sounding email addresses such as uscis.webmaster@dhs.uscis.gov and/or SupportTeamSupport@uscis.foundation. If you are the target of a scam, please notify the ISSC at 480-727-4776 or ISSC@asu.edu.

For more tips to avoid scams, please visit the following links: