DHS OIG, Apr. 19, 2017 –

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a fraud alert to warn citizens of reports that the DHS OIG Hotline telephone number has been used recently as part of a telephone spoofing scam targeting individuals throughout the country.

The perpetrators of the scam represent themselves as employees with “U.S. Immigration” and can alter caller ID systems to make it appear that the call is coming from the DHS OIG Hotline telephone number (1-800-323-8603).

The scammers demand to obtain or verify personally identifiable information from their victims through various tactics, including by telling individuals that they are the victims of identity theft. DHS reminds the public that DHS OIG never uses its Hotline number to make outgoing calls — the phone line is only used to receive information from the public. Individuals should not answer calls purporting to be from 1-800-323-8603, and should never provide personal information during calls purporting to be from the DHS OIG Hotline.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this telephone spoofing scam is urged to file a complaint online via the DHS OIG website www.oig.dhs.gov.

A complaint and/or report of identity theft can also be filed with the Federal Trade Commission.

(Release Date: April 19, 2017)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a redesign to the Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card) and the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) as part of the Next Generation Secure Identification Document Project.

USCIS will begin issuing the new cards on May 1, 2017.

These redesigns use enhanced graphics and fraud-resistant security features to create cards that are highly secure and more tamper-resistant than the ones currently in use.

The new redesigned Green Cards and EADs will:

• Display the individual’s photos on both sides;
• Show a unique graphic image and color palette:
  • Green Cards will have an image of the Statue of Liberty and a predominately green palette;
  • EAD cards will have an image of a bald eagle and a predominately red palette;
• Have embedded holographic images; and
• No longer display the individual’s signature.
• Also, Green Cards will no longer have an optical stripe on the back.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on Monday April 17, 2017 that the agency received 199,000 petitions for its H-1B visa program during the first week of April 2017. This is a significant and sharp drop in the number of H-1B petitions filed with USCIS over the last two years