"Your visa is cancelled unless you pay now"

An email said my visa would be cancelled unless I paid immediately, and the logo mimicked immigration services. I was on a valid visa, mid-job, and panic made the threat feel personal.

They demanded crypto or wire to reinstate status and warned me not to alert HR. I sent thousands before I showed the message to anyone because I felt ashamed about not understanding the system.

Immigration impersonation exploits fear of deportation. Real embassies and visa offices do not threaten instant cancellation by email or take crypto to fix records.

I isolated because I did not want to bother HR with what I thought was my mistake. Silence gave the scammer more room to push.

HR said the message matched a known template and walked me through checking my status on the official portal—everything was still valid. I sobbed in their office from relief and anger at once.

The money was gone, and every inbox ping spiked my pulse for weeks afterward.

I now rely only on government portals and appointments I book myself. I wish I had forwarded the email to HR the moment it arrived.

• Report visa scams to your country's fraud line.
• Never pay immigration fees through links in unsolicited email.

For more help, see our Report a scam page and Spot and avoid scams guide.