Scams and Safety

These primarily appear as online advertisements on sites such as craigslist.org or Facebook groups. The contact person will insist that you send them money for housing accommodations even though you have not yet visited the property in person. When you show up to the address, the place is unavailable. If you are required to wire money ahead of time, please be sure the housing post is legitimate. Check the address on Google Maps or a search engine to ensure it is a residential building. Try to arrange a digital viewing via Skype, FaceTime, etc. to confirm it is a real address and to see the unit in person.

Callers say that they are from a government or law enforcement agency such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or the police. They seem to have a lot of your personal information and threaten to have you deported or file a complaint if you don't send money immediately. Please note that phone scammers are often able to mask true phone number and can appear to be calling from a legitimate U.S. government agency number. Do not give them any information or follow their instructions.

If someone claims to be from a government agency, ask for their full name, job title, department, email, and phone number. Let them know that you will be contacting your International Student or Scholar Advisor for advice before responding. Bring the information to Berkeley International Office, and an advisor can follow up to see if this is a legitimate request. If the individual refuses to provide identification, they do not work for a government agency.

Please be aware that it is highly unusual for legitimate representatives of USCIS, the IRS, ICE, or other government and law enforcment agencies to call individuals about a pending case. Almost all contact from these agencies is in writing, generally by U.S. mail.

Scammers impersonate Chinese law enforcement officials, consulates, embassies, banks, or government agencies and target Chinese citizens who are on student visas at U.S. universities. The scammers claim that you are under investigation in China for criminal activities and ask you for personal information such as your name, date of birth, Chinese ID number, passport number, financial information, etc.

Visa "Consultants" in some countries are selling U.S. visa appointments to students for as much as $1,000. These agents claim priority or expedited visa appointment slots, but are actually following the exact same procedures as others to secure the appointment, and do not have any special access.

If you are planning to apply for or renew your student visa in the near future, be sure to go through the official channels to book your appointment directly with the U.S. consulate or embassy. 

COVID-19 text or robocall scams may falsely advertise a cure or offer bogus tests. Learn more and see examples of scam texts and listen to actual scam audio. See the Federal Trade Commission’s website for more information on COVID-19-related scams.

Tuition scams promise international students a tuition discount if they allow a third party service to pay their fees. Scammers ask students to provide their username and password for the school’s online tuition payment portal so they can make a payment on behalf of the student. The student then sends funds to the scammer, only to find out that the tuition payment made by the scammer used invalid, stolen credit card information. Never share your online credentials with anyone and only use payment methods and third parties approved by UC Berkeley.

Strangers may approach you in public and pressure you into accepting unwanted goods or services in return for money. Other scams may involve trying to coerce you into providing money or assistance, or diverting your attention while taking your belongings.

In a "phishing" email scheme, criminals pose as a trusted person or organization, such as a bank or government agency.  They will go to great lengths to make the email appear legitimate, and will often contain links to a phony website intended to bait victims into providing financial account information, passwords, and other information that can lead to identity theft. Recipients of a W-2 tax form from UC Berkeley should be aware of phishing emails containing W-2 or tax information. Read more here and here.

The scammer will send you an email offering a part-time job that allows you to earn money while you study. There are various ways that the scammer may obtain money or information from you. Do NOT respond to these emails or click any links therein. See the example email below.

***Beginning of scam email***

From: [email redacted]
Date: Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 9:22 A
Subject: STUDENT EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

Dear Student,

We got your email addresses from The University of California in Berkeley database and I'm happy to inform you that our reputable company, J.K manufacturing company is currently running a student empowerment program, this program is to help hardworking students to secure a part-time job which does not deter you from doing your daily activities, you only need few hours to do this weekly with an attractive weekly salary $300 per week. Kindly get back to us via this email if you are interested in this part-time job offer .

Kind regards

Mr.Bernard Scort

HR/Recruit Manager/Consultant

J.K Manufacturing Company

***End of scam email***

Recruitment services can help place students in internship opportunities. Before using one of these services, ask yourself if it is really something you need; you may well be qualified and capable of finding a great internship without using a recruitment service. You may wish to consult with a Berkeley Career Engagement Center counselor to find out if this type of service could be beneficial for you.

If you do decide to use a recruitment service, it is best to do some research beforehand. While many of these services may be legitimate, proceed with caution, especially if they charge for their services. Here are some tips on vetting a recruiter:

• Ask a lot of questions. Will they find you an internship, or will they simply set up informational interviews? Find out exactly what you will be getting, especially if it is a paid service.
• Ask the recruiter to connect you with students (more than one) who have used their services in the past so that you can consult with them.
• Carefully read through the terms of any contract you sign.
• Maintain good communication with the recruiter. If you need information or clarification at any point, ask. A long response time could be a red flag.

For detailed information on safe practices when reseraching employers, visit the Berkeley Career Engagement Center's Research Employers web page.