Jordanians complain of scam calls promising US visa, Green Card

AMMAN — A growing number of Jordanians are complaining of phone scams, involving individuals who impersonate immigration officers to get sensitive personal information with the promise of a US visa or Green Card. 

The Jordan Times spoke with a number of citizens, who claimed to have been subject to similar fraud attempts. 

Ahmad, not his real name, said that he recently received a phone call from an “agent” claiming to represent a US immigration organisation and informing him that he’s been nominated to get a Green Card. 

The incoming call showed the US country code and the alleged agent’s manner of speaking was “very professional”, according to Ahmad. 

“He confirmed that the organisation will cover half the cost of tickets then started asking for personal information to set me up for an interview, which will take place in May or June due to the large number of applicants,” he said. 

“But they reassured me that my chances of acceptance are high because my university major is in demand in the US,” he added, noting that the alleged agent asked for $250 as an advance payment to reserve his spot. 

Another citizen, who preferred to remain anonymous, reported a similar experience. 

“They tried to wheedle out my banking information and credit card number by leading me to believe that they had it and asking me to confirm different parts of it. That’s when I hung up,” he told The Jordan Times. 

Hussam Khattab, an expert in technology and cybersecurity, noted that “phishing attacks” can take the form of e-mails, text messages, links or phone calls through which criminals attempt to trick or manipulate targets into sharing information. 

“Awareness of this form of crime is important in today’s digital age,” he told The Jordan Times. 

Grammatical or spelling mistakes in websites or e-mails, links from anonymous sources and phone calls from entities requesting any form of payment “should always raise one’s suspicions”, according to Khattab. 

He pointed out that scammers resort to phone calls instead of other phishing means in order to gain their target’s confidence. 

Khattab stressed the importance of reporting such incidents to the Public Security Directorate’s Cyber Crime Unit so it can take the necessary procedures to ensure that others don’t fall victim to the same scams.