Fraudsters posed as ICE agents, used fear of deportation to extort money through gift cards
An Indian student pursuing her Master’s degree in the United States was duped of $5,000 (₹4.25 lakh) by scammers impersonating US immigration officers, according to a Newsweek report. The student, Shreya Bedi, who arrived in the US in 2022 on an F-1 visa and was studying at Indiana University Bloomington, fell victim to the scam on May 29, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
During a meticulously planned three-hour call, fraudsters posing as agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pressured Bedi into believing she was in serious legal trouble. Using sophisticated tactics—including official-sounding language, a fake badge number, and a spoofed ICE contact number—they coerced her into buying and sending $5,000 worth of gift cards.
To heighten the pressure, she was also contacted by someone pretending to be from a local police department, who falsely warned her that her phone was being monitored due to an active arrest warrant
The scammers convinced her that she had violated immigration laws and would face arrest unless she immediately paid a bond using Apple and Target gift cards.
The scammers appeared to have extensive personal details about Bedi, including her visa status, hometown in India, and academic background, making the threat seem more real. Isolated and terrified, Bedi was manipulated into compliance and was told that a police officer would arrive to collect the cards and legal documents the following day—a promise that, unsurprisingly, never materialized.
A close friend has since launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Bedi recover from the financial and emotional toll of the fraud. The fundraiser highlights that she had just finished her degree and was planning to begin a new chapter in the US. Instead, she is now facing financial uncertainty, debt, and the trauma of being scammed without any local support network.
The friend organizing the fundraiser stated that the scammers abused government impersonation, exploited immigration anxieties, and left the student grappling with emotional and financial hardship while trying to manage rent, student loans, and the aftermath of the incident.
