Safety Information and Resources

Protect Your Personal Identity:

Be wary of giving your personal information to a person, agency, or company that contacts you (as opposed to a company that you directly initiate contact with). If anyone contacts you and asks you to pay or send them money using Bitcoin, a wire transfer, or any type of prepaid card, this is likely a scam. If anyone calls asking for payment due to your involvement in a criminal case, hang up the phone and call your local police department.

Government agencies typically do not call you. If they do, they will not ask for money or information over the phone. If you are unsure if a call is legitimate, USS can help you confirm. 

• The IRS and police will NEVER ask for any form of payment, including gift cards, to avoid an arrest.
• Government agencies will NOT request personal information via text messages.

Never share personal or financial information over the phone with someone you do not know. Use these general safety tips to keep your information secure:

• Ask the person to give you a number you can call to verify his/her identity, and ask the person to send you any information they would like you to consider in writing.
• Never give your Social Security number, ITIN, date of birth, mother’s maiden name, credit/debit card number, bank PIN codes, or passwords.
• Keep your important papers secure. Shred documents with sensitive information before disposing of them. Limit the personal information you carry with you in your wallet, purse, or bag.
• Please pick up your mail daily to minimize the risk of it being stolen. 
• Maintain appropriate security on your computers and other electronic devices. Never give out personal information unless you are using a secure website. You can determine if a website is secure by checking the beginning of the web address in your browser's address bar. It should read "https://" instead of "http://". You may also look to the bottom right of your screen for a padlock symbol.
• Do not conduct business over the phone with callers you do not know.
• Always be cautious of phone calls from unknown individuals or unfamiliar phone numbers. Recognize that legitimate telephone numbers can be ‘spoofed’. If in doubt, you can look up the real phone numbers and call them back yourself.

Many people offer help with immigration services. Unfortunately, not all are authorized to do so. Scammers may call or email you, pretending to be a government official. They will say that there is a problem with an application, or additional information is required to continue the immigration process. They will then request personal and sensitive details and demand payment to resolve any issues. 

Please be aware of scams targeting students and scholars and report any incidents immediately. Remember, reporting scams will not affect your immigration status or pending applications. Also, many US states allow you to report scams anonymously. See examples of common scams.

Extortion Scams:

Some phone scams threaten individuals with an arrest if they fail to meet the scammer’s demands. This may include threats of arrest of students by police in their country of origin. The phone call usually starts with an automated message. The person could identify themselves as a U.S. government employee claiming to have an open case involving the victim in criminal activity. The caller then:

• Threatens the victim with an arrest and imprisonment, or future visa denial.
• Asks the victim:
  • For their date of birth and identification number to check if they have been a victim of identity theft, "confirms” that the victim's identity has been stolen and then advises the victim to secure their funds by withdrawing their money, converting it to Bitcoin, and sending it to the caller, or
  • To purchase several gift cards (e.g., GameStop, Home Depot, etc.) and provide the serial numbers via text, or
  • Demands that the victim wire transfer funds to banks overseas as a way of proving their innocence.

 I-901 SEVIS Fee Scams (For students with J1/F1 Visas)

• Prospective students must pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee at FMJFee.com. This is the only federal website certified to correct I-901 SEVIS Fee payments. 
• If you receive any phone calls from a person attempting to collect an I-901 SEVIS Fee or any other payment on behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or SEVP, hang up immediately and call your local Police Department. Then you should contact the International Student Engagement Office.
  • Fraudulent callers may inquire about a student's immigration information or request money. Do not give the caller any personal information, attempt to transfer funds to the scammer, or release any financial or banking information.   
• Be wary of third-party agents that offer to pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee on your behalf. 

Common Legal Scams:

• Social Security Scam Awareness Information 
• Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information to Protect Yourself 
• Identity Theft
• Imposter Scams
• IRS Scams (video)
• Rental Scams
• USCIS Immigration Scams

How to Report Scams:

• Report the incident to the UC San Diego Police Department by calling 858-534-4357 or submitting an online reporting form.
• Report immigration scams to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) by completing the online form at the USCIS Avoid Scams website. 
• If you receive a scam email or phone call, report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
• If you are unsure if an email is a scam, forward it to the USCIS Webmaster at uscis.webmaster@uscis.dhs.gov. USCIS will review the emails received and share with law enforcement agencies as appropriate
• If you have a question about your immigration record, call customer service at 800-375-5283 or make an InfoPass appointment with USCIS.
• Visit the Avoid Scams Initiative for more information on common scams and other important tips.

Tuition Payment Scams:

There has been an increase in online scams targeting college students by promising a tuition reduction if a third-party service is used to pay their fees. Students attending institutions across the United States, including UC San Diego, have been impacted by these online tuition scams. Scammers have especially targeted students using the popular app, WeChat. Scammers often promise an approximate 5% discount in tuition, and victims are asked to provide their university credentials and their credit card information.

The best way to protect yourself from these scams is to never share your online credentials with anyone. You should also only use payment methods approved by UC San Diego, and advise parents and authorized payers not to respond to third-party solicitations.

Contact Student Financial Solutions via the Services and Support Portal immediately if you have questions about a potential tuition discount or an alternative form of payment that’s not included on the list of ways to pay your bill located on this Student Financial Solutions webpage.

Please visit Student Financial Solutions’ Avoiding Online Tuition Scams page to read more about online tuition scams and how to protect yourself.

Additional Resources:

• Money Matters
• How to Avoid Scholarship and Financial Aid Scams
• Gift Card Scams

Be aware of phone scams where callers claim to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and threaten to have a person arrested or deported for owing taxes.

Even if you do owe taxes, the IRS will never:

• Call and demand immediate payment over the phone;
• Demand payment with a prepaid debit card, or ask for your credit card or debit card number over the phone; or
• Threaten to call the police or immigration authorities. 

If you get a call like this, report it online to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration or call 800-366-4484. Also, report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

To learn more about tax scams, watch this video and read this IRS Tax Tip Sheet. If you think you owe taxes, you can call the IRS at 800-829-1040 and they may help you arrange a payment plan. 

Visit the USCIS Avoid Scams page for more information on common scams targeting immigrants.

Be aware of housing scams, particularly on websites like Craigslist. Signs of a scam targeting renters can include the following:

• The advertised price of the rental property is much lower than that of similar properties.
• The person trying to rent you the property claims to be an agent for the property owner who is too busy, out of the country, or otherwise unavailable to handle the rental.
• The owner or agent requires you to sign the lease before you see the rental property.
• The owner or agent can't to let you enter the home or apartment or charges you a fee to view it. 
• You're asked to wire money as a deposit or payment of the first and last month's rent. Remember wiring money is the same as giving cash. You can't get a refund, even if you find out the offer was a fraud.
• The owner or agent uses high pressure sales tactics, urging you to rent quickly, before someone else gets the property.
• The person preparing the lease writes in a higher monthly rent or additional fees that you hadn't agreed upon. 
• The landlord directs you to a website to get a free credit check. This can be a tactic for harvesting your identity. Only disclose this information on a written application after you have seen the property.

What you can do to protect yourself:

• If you’re not able to see the unit in person, have a friend or family member check it out for you. If this isn’t possible, hire a local real estate agent.
• Check for the home’s address online using Google Maps to see if it matches what is being advertised online.
• Use UC San Diego’s Off-Campus Housing website to search for a property. However, it is still important that you follow the tips listed above when checking out these properties!
• Consult with UC San Diego Student Legal Services if you have any questions or concerns about a property you are renting/would like to rent.
• Report any scams to the San Diego Police Department. 

*Source: USA.gov Housing Scams Website

Beware fraudulent job/internship postings. Students are often targets for scammers to attempt to threaten or scare potential victims into providing them with cash or personal, protected information, which is then used to withdraw money from bank accounts or for other illegal activity. 

Use the Following Tips to Avoid Scams:

Never give out your personal or banking information to potential employers.

• Recruiters and hiring contacts should not ask for money (checks, cash, wire transfers, etc.) when considering you for a job/internship opportunity. They should not ask for personal information such as login information and passwords, your mailing address, and/or social security number.

Watch for signs of unprofessionalism. Be cautious of:

• A recruiter/hiring contact using a free email service such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, rather than their company/business email address
• A recruiter/hiring contact that avoids answering questions about their company’s mission, product, or service
• Correspondence from a recruiter/hiring manager that is unprofessionally written – use of slang, misspelled words, poor grammar, and/or use of all capital letters

Do your research.

• Do an internet search of the company/business website and/or LinkedIn profile, is it professional and up-to-date?
• Also look for the name of the recruiter/hiring contact on LinkedIn to confirm they are associated with the company they are hiring for (especially if they are not using a company/business email address)

Remember, if a job or internship is too good to be true, it probably is. If you become aware of a scam or fraudulent job/internship posting, or if you believe you have been a victim of an employment scam, notify the Career Services Center immediately.

For more information about scams please review the following resources:

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration and Common Scams 
• Phishing Scams 
• Social Media and Security  
• Gig as a Brand Ambassador
• General Resources