Employers: Beware of Form I-9 Email Scam

In a statement released yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that employers across the United States have been receiving scam emails requesting information from and copies of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.  The scam emails have been sent to employers using various email addresses with the sender’s name masked to reflect the name of the DHS’s application support agency, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS).  Email recipients have included businesses of all sizes across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.  The emails have been targeted to individuals with access to Form I-9 information, such as senior corporate executives and human resources managers and assistants.

The Norris McLaughlin & Marcus Immigration Practice Group reminds all employers that the DHS does not require employers to submit the completed Form I-9 to the agency, absent the issuance of a Notice of Inspection requesting the production of documents.  Further, the DHS does not initiate communications with employers regarding immigration-related employment concerns through email.  Employers are advised to neither respond to these e-mails, nor to click on any links in them.

To learn more about the this post or any other immigration matter, feel free to contact me, Raymond G. Lahoud, at rglahoud@nmmlaw.com.