The US embassy in Doha has warned against scam calls promising fake scholarships.
In a statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday, the embassy said: "The US embassy in Doha has been made aware of a recurring fraud scheme in which scammers call or email people, claiming to be working with US embassies and Qatari embassies worldwide, soliciting payment for US educational opportunities or legal assistance with problems related to ones previous educational programmes in the US."
"Furthermore, scammers claim that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating these cases and requesting payment," the statement continued. "Please be aware of these types of scams and do not respond. No US government entity, including the US embassy in Qatar, will ever request payment for educational or legal services."
EducationUSA Doha ([email protected]) provides free US higher education guidance to all residents of Qatar, it stressed.
"If you receive any calls or emails suggesting that you are under investigation by the FBI or other authority and a request for money is included, please inform the Ministry of Interior via a local police centre or call the Cybercrime Combating Centre hotline - 6681 5757, or email [email protected] and notify the embassy at [email protected]," the statement added.
