Some of our international students are being called by scammers who claim to be from the ‘Home Office’.
The caller says they are from the Home Office and has the students full name, postcode in the UK and passport number, and asks the student to verify those details are correct. The caller tells the student to go to the www.gov.uk website, and search for Home Office, and then scroll down to the bottom of the screen, so that the student can see that they are calling from the genuine Home Office number. The caller ID on the student’s mobile, does show this number.
The caller then proceeds to tell the student they have not paid for an immigration service, and as a result have to pay a fine (usually £1200 – £1520), or else they will be reported to the Police/or the Home Office who will detain them or deport them.
The caller becomes increasingly insistent and verbally aggressive, and as they have so much personal information about the student, the student often feels so pressured and terrified, that they pay up.
The calls seem to particularly target students from India and Sri Lanka.
BEWARE – This is a very sophisticated scam! If they were to call you and you challenge their authenticity they may tell you to Google their phone number and verify their identity. Even the caller ID they use is the same as Home Office switch board number. They will have manipulated the electronics, webpages and links to deceive you. They can be very forceful and authoritative in their tone, even more so if they sense that you are scared.
British Police or Home Office never contact students in this manner, and they never ask for money over the phone.
If you receive a call of this nature, please do not give out any personal details (passport number, address, family details). Please do not download any software they ask you to on your phone or computer. Cut the phone and inform the police immediately. If you are unsure, please feel free to contact International Experience Team on internationalexperience@shu.ac.uk or call us on 0114 225 3813.