UCLA
Dashew Center
for International Students & Scholars

Scams and Safety

be aware of scams

Scams and Fraud Affecting International Students/Scholars in the U.S.

Many international students and scholars studying in the U.S. have recently been victims of multi-phase scams from individuals impersonating employees of specific mail companies, U.S. immigration and law enforcement officers, or investigators from foreign governments.

Scam and Fraud Prevention Video

For more information about scams targeting international students and scholars, visit the USCIS website.

How to Report Scams and Fraud?

If you encounter a fraud attempt, please report the incident to the Dashew Center at fraudreport@saonet.ucla.edu and the appropriate agencies below:

Please remember:

  • The Dashew Center staff and U.S. government officials (e.g. from the IRS or U.S. immigration, etc.) will never request your credit card number, Social Security number, or banking information over the phone.
  • If you ever question the authenticity or propriety of a phone call, you should ask for a name and telephone number to call the person back.
  • You may consult with the Dashew Center about any suspicious phone calls or emails you receive requesting your personal information

Common Traits of Scams

  • A phone call, email, or in-person request from a stranger that requires immediate action.
  • A call with caller ID or phone number information that appears to be from a government agency or law enforcement.
  • A claim is made that you owe money or have committed some kind of violation.
  • Scams can threaten punishment (e.g. threats of deportation or arrest) for not acting immediately.
  • Scammers use fear, threats, and intimidation to get something from you.
  • Scammers will keep you on the phone for a long time and will not let you hang up to call back later.

Why Report Fraud? | Federal Trade Commission Video

Types of Scams

  • ucla UCLA Job/Internship Opportunity

    As a rule, students are only hired for UCLA student jobs through official channels like an application on UCLA Career Center powered by Handshake, or another official ucla.edu website. If you are interested finding a student job at UCLA, consider searching for positions on UCLA Career Center powered by Handshake, or contacting a potential supervisor directly using their official UCLA email address. Sometimes scammers impersonate instructors, advisors, deans, or other members of the UCLA community to trick students and employees into giving up personal information or request them to purchase office equipment. Please be sure you do NOT respond to this type of email and delete it from your inbox. Unfortunately because these scams are constantly changing, we are not able to take preventative measure and block the emails. We rely on your security awareness and vigilance to detect and report these scams.
  • as Employment Scams

    Scammers will email you offers for employment or placement in internship or job opportunities for a fee. In one example, students are offered super shopper jobs, where scammers send a check and a large list of items to be purchased for them. They request that you ship the items to them the next day and want a report of your experience at each store. Three days later, the check they sent you bounces.

    Be suspicious of unsolicited employment offers, especially if you did not submit an employment application to work for that employer. Do not click on any links within these emails- they can contain malicious code that may infect your computer or mobile phone.
    For other types of common fraud schemes, please see the FBI’s website and the IRS’ website and news release.
  • aaa Common Phishing Scams & Fraud

    Phishing is a type of scam typically carried out through unsolicited email and/or websites that pose as legitimate sites and lure unsuspecting victims to provide personal and financial information, like your date of birth and Social Security number. Please read and learn how to protect yourself of different scams and fraud.

    Do not reply to emails you suspect are phishing scams and do not open any attachments or click on any links from suspicious emails. They can contain malicious code that may infect your computer or mobile phone.
  • phone Phone Scams

    Callers may say that they are from University Police, the IRS, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, or another government agency. Caller ID may even appear to show a legitimate U.S. government agency phone number. They may already have some personal information about you and say that there is a problem with your Social Security number or U.S. visa. They may threaten deportation if you do not send money or make a payment.
  • house Housing Scams

    These appear as online advertisements for housing on websites such as craigslist.org. The contact person of an advertisement will insist that you send them money to secure an apartment, even though you have not visited the property in person. They can even send you a false lease agreement. When you show up to the apartment, it is not available and the apartment management is not aware of your payment nor your signed lease. If you are required to wire money for housing, please be sure the housing post is legitimate.
  • streets Street Scams

    Someone will approach you asking if you can help them. They often have stories about sick family members or urgent situations that require money. They will walk with you or offer to drive you to the nearest ATM machine. They will offer to pay you back and give you their contact information.

Other Common Scenarios Reported

  • The scammer will pretend to be from an organization that individuals are familiar with, such as a law enforcement or immigration agency, the IRS or other entity that sounds very official or powerful. They often use technology to change the phone number that appears on a caller ID to make it look as if the call is really from the agency they claim to represent.
  • The scammer will inform intended victims of a penalty or problem. They might say that the individual is in trouble with the government or that they owe money, or perhaps claim that a virus has been placed on the individual’s computer. They might ask the intended victim to verify information to prove who they are.
  • The scammer will often pressure the individual to act immediately. They want the person to act before they have time to think about the situation. If the scammer calls via telephone, they will likely ask the person not to hang up so that the person cannot check out the story for themselves.
  • In “sextortion” scams, the scammer will promise to do something for the individual if the individual does something for them. They will try to make the person feel special and gain their trust, but do not let your guard down and do not do what they ask.
  • The scammer will ask people to pay in very specific ways. Scammers often insist that individuals pay them using wire/money transfers or by purchasing gift cards and then giving them the numbers on the backs of the cards. Some scammers might even send people money, ask them to deposit it and then request a lesser amount back, but the check the scammer sent will ultimately turn out to be fraudulent.