International Student Spoofing Alert

The Office of International Students and Programs (OISP) has been made aware of a recent phone scam targeting international students and reminds you to keep your personal information safe.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) considers your passport number and SEVIS ID to be sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) that should be protected when collected, stored, handled, and shared. Franklin University will use official communication channels to request personal information from students. To ensure the security of your sensitive information, be aware of methods used to imitate official communications, such as spoofing and phishing, and always verify that requests come from official channels before providing personal information.

If you receive a call or message that from a source you do not trust, take action to protect your personal information:

1. Ask for a case number or reference ID.
2. Request the caller's name and contact information.
3. End the conversation promptly.
4. Return the call only using a phone number published on the official website.

If the caller attempts to threaten your immigration status or intimidate you on the basis of being an international student, contact OISP immediately. If you suspect that your Franklin University account has been compromised, please see the following link: https://support.franklin.edu/hc/en-us/articles/360010535553-Account-Compromise. 

For more information about immigration scams, please see the following link: https://www.uscis.gov/scams-fraud-and-misconduct/avoid-scams/common-scams 

For more information about phone or text scams, please see the following link: https://support.franklin.edu/hc/en-us/articles/26026003950487-Phone-and-Text-Phishing-Scams

For more information about email phishing scams and email best practices, please see the following link: https://support.franklin.edu/hc/en-us/articles/360009283813-Phishing-or-Fraudulent-Emails-Identification-and-Response