Campus Safety Notices

Dear Members of the Drexel Community,

Drexel Police are advising the campus community of ongoing scams targeting international students.

In the most recent incident, a student received a phone call from someone claiming to be from Drexel University, instructing them to leave their location and head home to discuss visa documents. They later received a call from an individual claiming to be an agent with Immigration and Customs and were advised to send money in the form of gift cards to avoid having their visa cancelled.

While the language used by scammers may evolve slightly, the core tactics remain the same. The scammer may:

• Claim that you failed to file Form AR-11 (Change of Address Form) and that a complaint has been lodged against you.
• Threaten deportation or legal action.
• Possess some of your personal information such as your major, nationality, etc., likely gathered from public sources.

Scam calls often come from spoofed numbers. 

Government agencies will never ask you to transfer money to an individual. They do not accept Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, Venmo, CashApp or gift cards as payment for immigration fees.  

Additional information regarding common scams targeting international students and acceptable methods for paying filing fees can be found on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.

Drexel’s Office of International Students and Scholars Services is also a resource for international students seeking additional immigration related guidance and information.

If you receive a threatening call, do not engage, hang up immediately and call Drexel Police at 215.895.2222. Do not provide any personal information. Scammers use sophisticated methods and scare tactics, but no legitimate agency will contact you to threaten deportation or demand personal information.

If you feel that you have been a victim of a scam and you have provided personal information or payment, please contact Drexel Police at 215.895.2222 to file a police report.

Drexel Public Safety encourages students, faculty and staff to be alert, take precautions, and report crimes and suspicious activities. Your efforts to stay well-informed and take preventive action will help in maintaining the safest possible environment on Drexel’s campuses.

Police are reminding everyone to be aware of their surroundings, to not have cell phones and other valuables visible and to walk with others when possible.

Members of the Drexel community may call Public Safety for a walking escort at 215.895.2222 or use the Drexel Guardian app. Additional crime prevention and awareness tips can be found on the Public Safety website.

Any suspicious activity should immediately be reported to Philadelphia police by calling 911 or Drexel police by calling 215.895.2222.

Mel Singleton

Vice President/Chief of Police

Department of Public Safety

What Is This Notice?

A Public Safety Advisory is sent for situations that do not require a Timely Warning Notice or Emergency Notification, but nevertheless present an important opportunity to share safety- or security-related information with the campus community. Circumstances that may give rise to such advisories include: when crimes occur within the Clery Act campus boundary line but on private property that is not Clery-reportable; off-campus crimes (Clery or non-Clery crimes) occurring in a location in which a high concentration of students or employees may be found; or other safety- or security-related situations that are prudent to share with members of the campus community to apprise them of the circumstances and encourage them to remain steadfast in observing, reporting, and intervening, as appropriate, to promote safety.