In Part 1 of our series, we identified three scams, including fake calls/email scams, the “Illegal Chinese Passport Scheme,” and census scams. We also described the “red flags”—things you can look for to help identify a scam.
In this post, we will continue to identify some of the most common scams and their red flags. If you’d like to know how students and schools can protect themselves from scams, and how to react if you fall victim to a scam, you can skip straight to Part 3.
For now, let’s continue with some other well-known scams, so you know what to look out for:
A scammer will list a rental for a very low, “too good to be true” price. They may include a lot of detail in the listing, as well as photos. However, if you contact the scammer, they will refuse to show the property for any number of reasons. Instead, they will tell you that you must send a security deposit and/or the first month’s rent via wire transfer in exchange for keys to the rental. In a variation of this scam, scammers will reach out to students regarding housing and will push you to secure a rental by sending money right away. You may also experience similar scams on Craiglist and other online marketplaces.
If you are an F-1 visa international student looking to enter an Optional Practical Training (OPT) or work program in the U.S., be careful as you weigh your options and do your research. There are a variety of scams targeting you:
All three of the scams listed above will specifically try to target OPT students. Whether they ask for personal information or money or try to force you into a shady contract, they are all disreputable. Your best bet is to hang up and block them from your phone and email.
Most international students are on extremely tight budgets and need scholarships and grants to help pay for their studies in the U.S. Unfortunately, scammers know this and will prey on students and their parents looking for financial assistance by paying for a service to find scholarships. Some of these scams will “guarantee” finding a scholarship if you send personal information or money to hold the scholarship.
These types of scams are usually conducted via phone or email and claim you have won something, like a lottery or free trip. The catch is, you have to pay some kind of processing fee or taxes to claim your prize. They will typically request either a wire transfer or your bank or credit card information.
Scams are widely conducted via telephone and usually feature a scammer posing as an authority figure like a police officer or government official. They will attempt to scare you and may threaten civil action or arrest if you don’t do what they tell you. Typically, they offer to let you off the hook if you send money in the form of a wire transfer or gift cards.
Some scam callers will get even more creative and will pretend to know someone you know or claim to be the friend-of-a-friend. The caller will usually claim your “mutual friend” is in trouble and needs money. For instance, they may say your friend has been arrested and needs money for bail. Again, they will want you to send this money to them (not your real friend) in the form of wire transfers or gift cards.
Being caught in a scam can make you feel scared or uneasy. Scammers will try to push you to decide without all the information or demand that you part with personal information or money. Remember, it’s important not to react in the moment. Step back from the situation, take a deep breath, and see if there are any red flags present. If there are, don’t worry. You haven’t done anything wrong. As with any situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, report your experience to your advisor. They can help you and alert other students to the scam.
In Part 3, we will discuss what you can do to protect yourself, and how to react if you happen to fall victim to a scam. If you’d like to review the other scams we’ve identified, click here to return to Part 1.