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Summer in Boston
Photo credit: Stuart Darsch
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WARNING: Beware of Phone/Email Scams
We cannot stress this enough. PLEASE be careful if you receive any communication from someone claiming to be from the government or police. Unfortunately, phone and email scams are common and can happen ANY TIME, not just around the beginning of the academic year or around tax filing season. Remain calm and tell them you will contact them after you speak to the ISO.
We are reaching out to all international students as we have received reports of recent phone scams of individuals posing as officers from U.S. Government agencies [in most recent cases involving MIT students, the caller indicated they were from the Cambridge Police Department, the US Internal Revenue Service, and/or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)]. The callers claim that the international student has not followed all regulations and will have officers come to their home to arrest them immediately unless they pay the callers a significant fine by providing their bank card information or providing the large sum of money in the form of gift cards. The callers try to keep the student on the phone for an extended period of time, share identifying information about the individual (likely obtained through the student’s social media or other public websites), which can be very convincing that the call is real.
These are all scams – this is not real contact from a U.S. government agency.
The following are steps you can take to protect yourself:
- FIRST, remain calm and do NOT provide any information about yourself over the phone or by email, for identity-protection purposes.
- SECOND, if contacted by phone or in person, ask the person for as many details as possible. For example, their name, government ID number or badge number, their phone number, what branch of the government they work for, and the reason for why they are contacting you. Indicate that you will be happy to contact them again after you speak to an ISO advisor. Legitimate government agency representatives will allow you to contact your ISO Advisor and then respond to the agency.
- THIRD, contact the ISO immediately. We can help you determine if the official is legitimate or if it's a scam.
There are some common scams, including individuals saying they represent the “Immigration Service” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS - the federal tax collector in the US), and they look to convince the person they are calling that they owe money to the U.S. Government. These scams target not only international students, but also American Citizens (staff at the ISO have received these calls as well).
It is important to note that in most cases, government agencies will not contact you by phone or by email. Therefore, please be careful and use our recommendations above. If you receive a letter from a government agency, we also recommend that you contact the ISO so we can review the documents before you provide any response.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the ISO by phone (617-253-3795) or via email (iso-help@mit.edu).
For more information about scams, there are a number of resources:
*U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services – Avoid Scams (https://www.uscis.gov/avoid-scams)
*Tax Scam/U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) -- Telephone Scams (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-reiterates-warning-of-pervasive-telephone-scam)
*U.S. Federal Trade Commission – Consumer Information – Scam Alerts (https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts)
*U.S. Department of State – Fraud Warning — Diversity Visa Lottery Scam
https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/general/fraud.html
NOTE: The U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery can be entered for free by an individual, no assistance is required, and an individual cannot submit more than one entry each year.
If you believe you have been the victim of a scam, please notify the ISO immediately; you can also report this scam to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
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Check your I-20 or DS-2019 for a recent travel signature
If you plan to travel this summer, please check NOW when your document was last signed. Requesting a travel signature will take 2 business days, so please PLAN AHEAD!
All students are required to have a travel signature that has been signed within one year in order to re-enter the U.S. Travel signatures are valid for one year. Exceptions: a travel signature is valid for only 6 months if 1) your passport is Canadian OR 2) if you are currently working while on F-1 OPT.
To request an updated travel signature, visit the ISO during business hours and drop off your most current Form I-20 or DS-2019 at the reception desk. You may return to the ISO after 2 business days to pick-up your immigration document with the new travel signature.
*NOTE: If your I-20 or DS-2019 is expiring and you need a new one, please submit a request iMIT for a new immigration document NOW. It will take 5 to 10 business days to process.
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Major Immigration Alerts and Updates
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Culture Thursdays
Like us on Facebook and learn about some Americanisms or idioms each week. Every Thursday, our Grad Fellow Soyoung Park will be posting something new on our ISO Facebook Page!
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The ISO would like to hear from you! What are some confusing or surprising phrases or aspects of American culture that you would like explained?
Please fill out this google FORM and let us know your thoughts. We may feature these in a future Culture Thursday post on Facebook!
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Searching for anything MIT? Start here first!
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The MIT Activities Committee (MITAC) offers discounted tickets to the MIT community for local arts and culture, sporting events, and family activities.
$9 MOVIE TICKETS available!
FOR DOWNTOWN LOEWS THEATER, REGAL THEATER AT FENWAY, AND MORE!
Stata Center
Building 32 Lobby
Tues-Fri 11AM-4PM
617-253-7990
mitac-office@mit.edu
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Joint Summer Coffee Hour
TOMORROW! Friday, July 20th
10am-11:30am
E19-202
Meet fellow international students & scholars
Enjoy a light breakfast with coffee or tea
Co-sponsored by ISO and PDA (MIT Post-Doc Association)
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Always check the MIT Events Calendar or the MIT mobile app to find out what's happening on-campus!
All Students
INCUBE
September 21-24
Apply by Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Be part of the first MIT team and join for a free pre-event workshop in the Swiss Alps.
Find out what it’s all about and apply on eth.ec/incube.
Open to all students
Are you ready for a challenge?
What happens if you put five interdisciplinary students in a glass cube and let them work on a societal challenge?
From ideation to pitching, live the full entrepreneurial journey over the scope of an extended weekend.
Be part of the first MIT team and join for a free pre-event workshop in the Swiss Alps. Find out what it’s all about and apply on eth.ec/incube.
Application deadline: July 31st.
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Summer in Boston
Summer is the best time to explore Boston!
RECURRING FREE EVENTS
Free Fitness classes outside at the Esplanade- Healthy, Fit, & Fun 2018 offers free Zumba, Sunset yoga, Run Club, and Bootcamp every week!
Free concerts by Berklee School of Music students- all over Boston at various days and times; find out when and where at this website
Free movies in parks all over Boston
Third Thursday events at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum- Every third Thursday throughout the year. Next one is July 19th from 5:30pm to 9pm. Museum admission always free for students and staff with MIT ID (for free event tickets, you cannot request advance tickets online, only in person).
WEEKLY FREE EVENTS
free salsa lesson and social from 6pm to 9pm at the Blackstone Community Center in Boston. Every Monday from June until early September.-
WEDNESDAY-
- Concerts at the Hatch Shell- Free Wednesday Night concert series with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Sit outside at the Charles River Esplanade and listen to them play at the Hatch Shell dome stage. Every Wednesday until August 29th; rain dates are always that Thursday. (Join the ISO on Wednesday, July 18th!)
THURSDAY- Harborwalk Sounds- from 5pm to 9pm; in the summer from July 5th until August 30th, enjoy live music outside.every Thursday free admission- Admission to the ICA is always free for anyone with their MIT ID. For the general public, the ICA offers Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the
FRIDAY- Free Fun Fridays- Find out which museums and other places of interest are free to the public every Friday throughout the summer, from June 29th until August 31st.
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Past ISO Events
Summer Outing
Free Concert at Boston Public Library
Wednesday, June 13
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International Students Office
77 Massachusetts Ave
Building E18, Room 219 (E18-219)
Cambridge, MA 02139
Email: iso-help@mit.edu
Phone: (617) 253-3795
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