Fake calls and texts from "USCIS," "ICE," "the IRS," or "Social Security"

Your phone rings. The caller says they are from USCIS, ICE, the IRS, or Social Security. They know your name. They say there is a problem with your case, your taxes, or your number, and it must be fixed right now or something terrible will happen.

This is a scam. It is one of the most common scams in the country, and it is designed to make you panic before you can think.

How it works

Scammers use technology to make the caller ID show a real government phone number. They may use official-sounding titles, badge numbers, and case numbers. Some even have a second person “transfer” you to a “supervisor” to make it feel real.

The story changes, but the ending is always the same: you must pay, and you must pay in a way that cannot be traced. They will ask for gift cards, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or a payment app. Sometimes they ask for your Social Security number, A-number, or bank login instead, so they can steal your identity later.

Here is what real agencies actually do. They contact you by mail first. They do not demand payment over the phone. They never ask for gift cards or crypto. They do not threaten to send the police to your house in an hour. If you owe money to the IRS, you get a letter and the chance to ask questions and appeal. USCIS will never call you to ask for money or personal information.

Text messages and emails work the same way. A message that says “your case has a problem, click here” is almost always fake.

Why it targets families like yours

Scammers pick targets they think will be scared to hang up. If your family has any connection to the immigration system, a call that mentions ICE or USCIS feels serious, and that is exactly what they count on. Not knowing how U.S. agencies normally communicate is not a weakness. It is simply information nobody gave you yet.

The simple rule

A real government agency will never call and demand that you pay right now, and it will never ask for gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto.

You are allowed to hang up on anyone. If you are worried the problem might be real, find the agency’s official number on its website and call them yourself. A real issue will still be there in an hour. A scam will not.