"Passport Scammers Spoof Texas HSI"
Officials at the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) department in Texas have issued a warning about a new phone scam. Threat actors carrying out the malicious campaign have been impersonating special agents at the San Antonio HSI to call up members of the public. Victims are told that a problem has been detected with their passport, and they are then threatened with arrest by the imposter agent unless they make a payment to the HSI. HSI stated that the scammers claim the passport is involved in some type of crime and threaten the caller by indicating police will be dispatched to their home to arrest them. The fraudsters have found a way to make it appear to the victim that the call they are receiving is coming from the HSI San Antonio main phone number, 210-979-4500. HSI officials stated that HSI special agents and local police do not call people on the phone to warn them they are about to be arrested, and agents neither request financial information, such as bank account and credit card account information, nor demand money from someone to dismiss an investigation or remove an arrest warrant. HSI noted that individuals who are targeted by the scammers can help law enforcement to catch the criminals by trying to collect contact information from the caller and reporting it to the anonymous ICE tip line, 1 (866) 347-2423 or completing an online tip form.