Immigration / USCIS Scam Phone Numbers
Numbers impersonating U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services / ICE. Caller threatens deportation and demands payment to "fix" an immigration status problem.
How the Immigration / USCIS Scam works
The caller claims to be from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, ICE, or "the federal immigration office" and tells the recipient there is an irregularity in their paperwork that will result in deportation unless a fee is paid immediately. These calls disproportionately target recent immigrants and people who speak English as a second language. USCIS communicates about case issues by mail and through the official online case status system, never by demanding payment over the phone.
Common pressure tactics
- Threats of deportation
- Fake case numbers
- Demands immediate payment
- Targets non-English speakers
The script you'll usually hear
Most immigration / uscis calls open with one of three hooks: a fake "officer" or "agent" introducing themselves with a badge number, a recorded voice claiming an account or status has been frozen, or an aggressive demand to "respond within the hour" to avoid a consequence. The script then escalates pressure quickly. Recipients who push back are typically transferred to a "supervisor" who continues the same pitch with a slightly more authoritative tone — there is rarely a real second person on the line; it's almost always the same call-center agent putting on a different voice.
If you receive one of these calls
- Hang up. Do not "press 1" or stay on the line — both confirm a working number.
- Report it to the agency the caller pretended to be. For U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services / ICE, find the agency's official complaint channel and forward the time of call, the spoofed caller-ID number, and any voicemail recording you have.
- Block the number on your device. If the calls keep coming from new numbers, consider a call-blocking app or the call-screening features your phone or carrier already offers.