The U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City has urged Vietnamese travelers to stay alert against scam emails demanding visa deposits of up to US$15,000.

In a notice published on Tuesday, the consulate said fraudsters have been impersonating the U.S. government and contacting visa applicants to extort money.

The warning comes as the U.S. currently requires advance deposits of $5,000?15,000 only from visitors from Malawi and Zambia under the pilot deposit program for B1 and B2 short-term business and tourism visas.

"Vietnam is not currently among the pilot countries," the U.S. Consulate General said. "Therefore, any emails claiming to be from the U.S. government asking Vietnamese B visa applicants to post a bond are likely fraudulent."

The U.S. Consulate General also reminded travelers that official U.S. government correspondence ends with ".gov," and those uncertain about an email's authenticity can verify through the consulate's official inquiry form.

To describe the scheme, the consulate released an image of a fraudulent email received by a Vietnamese applicant.

The U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City releases a photo of a fraudulent email asking customers to deposit money when applying for a visa. Photo by U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City

A fraudulent email released by the U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City asking a Vietnamese person to deposit money when applying for a visa.

Pham Anh Vu, Deputy General Director of tourism firm Du Lich Viet, noted that in addition to emails, fake visa websites and Facebook pages are also deceiving travelers, especially during peak travel seasons.

He advised tourists to stay calm when encountering suspicious requests and avoid transferring deposit money to unknown sources. They also need to check carefully, verify information and choose to book services at reputable travel companies. (VN EXPRESS)

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