A sophisticated scam attempt targeting international students has been reported at Case Western Reserve University. While international students have been emailed directly about this, we want to ensure the entire university community is aware to help assist in case such attempts occur again.
In it, the student received a call from a number that appeared to be from CWRU Police; the student was told they would be reported to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for failing to update their address. They then immediately received a call from someone claiming to work for USCIS, who stated their visa had been revoked and requested a photo of the student’s passport.
The VISA Office quickly determined the student’s visa status is valid and there is no threat to their status. The scam attempt has been reported to CWRU Police, who are conducting an investigation.
This scam, however, is incredibly unnerving and unsettling—and it shows the high levels of sophistication these attempts to phish, extort or otherwise scam people can be.
As a reminder, do not share private information or documents with anyone via email, text or phone if you have questions about the validity of the source.
If you receive an unexpected call claiming to be from CWRU or any authority, do not provide any information. Instead, end the call, then go to case.edu (or the authority’s website), find the official contact information, and call back through that channel. If the request is legitimate, you will be routed appropriately.
In addition, watch for the following red flags in emails, calls, texts or shared documents:
- Urgent or threatening tones
- Unusual senders or channels
- Messages from CWRU about account issues
- Suspicious links or attachments
- Requests for sensitive information (e.g., passports, driver’s licenses, Social Security cards) or payment
Any international students, faculty or staff can contact the VISA Office in Crawford Hall 320 or call us at 216.368.6964 with questions or concerns.
Victims of such attempts also can call CWRU Police at 216.368.3300 or email publicsafety@case.edu to report these crimes and get assistance from trained officers.
