Scams involving U.S. citizens have led to the loss of considerable amounts of money, ranging from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. For more information on commonly encountered scams, please visit the Department of State’s page on International Financial Scams.
Please beware of any emails requesting any personal information such as social security number, bank account numbers, login identification such as user id and passwords for online banking information. The U.S. Embassy does not request such information from customers, visa applicants or their sponsors. Official email communications from the U.S. Government come from domains ending in “.gov”. The U.S. Government does not send emails from private email domains such as Gmail or Yahoo.
To report suspicious emails or requests from people that claim affiliation with the US Embassy, please forward the suspicious email or provide the relevant information immediately to BCHFPM@state.gov.
Romance Scams
Millions of people turn to online dating apps or social networking sites to meet someone. But instead of finding romance, many find a scammer trying to trick them into sending money. Read more about romance scammers and learn tips for avoiding a romance scam:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-you-need-know-about-romance-scams
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/23/us/nigeria-romance-scam-arrests/index.html