Scammers have been calling international students at The New School and convincing them to hand over large sums of cash by pretending to be IRS agents and threatening deportation or arrest, according to the schools’ International Student and Scholar Services.
International services wouldn’t say how many students fell prey to the tax scam, citing privacy concerns, but warned every student under their purview in an April 3 email.
One New School student, who asked to withhold her name, was called by a man who claimed to be an IRS officer named Jason Dean. He convinced her that her tax payment was short of $9,800 and that she was at risk of legal punishment unless she immediately transferred the payment to his bank account.
The student, who was instructed not to hang up, was simultaneously contacted by people claiming to be police who backed up Dean’s story.
“When I started crying, he calmed me and told me he also has a daughter in college and that there are several students who have been affected by this,” said the student in her testimonial, which was recently shared by International Student and Scholar Services in the email.
In tears, she ran to her bank to withdraw her funds but luckily never completed the operation. Both Jason Dean and the police officer were frauds.
“I couldn’t believe it took me almost three hours to snap out of it,” said the student. “I am lucky and thankful that I did not end up paying these criminals my entire savings for something I didn’t do”.
She is not the only one: few other students reported to ISSS on the same issue.
School officials warn students to be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls from people who identify as government officials and inform the school of all the money-related matters arising from such conversations. As USCIS and IRS websites warn, the United States government will never call to confirm personal information or request students to pay immigration fees, especially to the individual via phone
“You can ask the caller for their name and phone number and tell them you will call back after consulting with your attorney or ISSS Advisor and then hang up,” said the school warned international students in an email on April 3.
International students who feel uncomfortable with their English are more prone to being scammed into payment. “They may not fully understand what is being asked about and may not be able to properly communicate in response,” said Andrew Amadei, International Student Supervisor.
The problem of scammers trying to take advantage of the international students’ vulnerable position is not new, according to Amadei. Yet the increase in criminals’ technical skills has improved their ability to gather and employ pieces of students’ personal data renders them more dangerous than ever.
“The tactics are changing and becoming much more demanding to international students. The scam artists tend to have more information now than they used to have to make it seem more real,” said Amadei. “A lot of students may mistakenly release information about themselves related to taxes, ID number, bank account.”
The New School students’ tendency toward creative self-expression might also drive them to be more vulnerable to scammers. “Many of our students, because they are artists and creative types, have their own blogs and will often post information about their coursework,” said Amadei. “A talented scam artist could very much link that kind of information together to find more about you.”
Personal and academic information shared online can easily turn into a tool of manipulation, enabling criminals to prove their credentials in eyes of students. This highlights the urgent need for keeping one’s data private.
“Always keep your social security card very safe. If it is lost, be sure to report that immediately. Do not share any type of identification number like that with anyone,” said Amadei. “If you have copies of any documents, keep track of those copies as well.”
As a preventative measure, international students are recommended to avoid carrying important documentation, such as their passport, ID or visa, with them unless there is a specific reason.
Photo by Orlando Mendiola