International education in the USA has come a long way since the 1950’s. As the number of international students surges on U.S. campuses, the number of scams that target these students is continuously increasing, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Personally, I think that one reason for this increasing number of scams among international students is that most of us are not that familiar with the culture and safety issues here when we just arrive. Plus, while we are adjusting to our new environment, cultural and language barriers make it more difficult for us to determine whether an offer of help or a request for personal information is real or fake. Many of us actually have no idea until we arrive. In the following paragraphs, I listed two real experiences that happened to students among us.
One of my friends always remembers how he was tricked into paying $200 for a ride to campus. After he picked up his luggage, a man in uniform who he believed to be an airport employee kindly approached him. Not sure where to go and take the shuttle, my friend asked the man about the direction. This uniformed man expressed his willingness and walked with my friend for couple minutes until my friend exited the terminal. Realizing that my friend was still confused about where to go and who to ask again, the man came back and told my friend that he could offer a ride to the shuttle center. After showing his appreciation, my friend got in the car and was taken to the shuttle center. However, after they got there, which only took about five minutes, the uniformed man was charging $200. Out of frustration, my friend payed the money and quickly got out of the car.
Another one of my friends was a victim of fraud when she applied for her first debit card in one of the biggest bank systems at the U of I. Several weeks later, she received a phone call from someone who claimed to be from this bank, and they asked my friend for her financial information. Unaware that this was a fraudulent call, my friend provided her account number and entered her pin number in the cell phone. It was not until my friend tried to book a hotel for thanksgiving break that she found out that her card had been frozen. She called the bank right away and the real bank agency told her that the card had been frozen because there were several suspicious transactions reported in Canada on her account. Realizing that the phone call she got several days before was fraudulent, my friend went to the bank and re-applied for a new debit card.
I know you may think that these tricks in the above examples were too easy, but, unfortunately, scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they target international students. Some scammers even know how to manipulate caller ID technology so that it appears that they are calling from a legitimate office or agency. Scammers may also use personal information about the student that they obtain illegally to scare the student into providing immediate payment or information.
There are several things that we can do to avoid being victims of these scams. For example, we can avoid transportation scams by not taking unmarked service taxis. Also, do not give out any personal information on calls. If you are concerned about something being wrong with your bank account, you can call back at the bank’s business phone number. If you feel that something is wrong, call 911 to report if it is safe to you to make such a call. My final tip for you is to remember that you are ultimately responsible for yourself. Don't hesitate to contact the international student office or the campus police directly.
