The US Embassy in New Delhi has issued a cautionary alert to individuals applying for US visas, urging them to be wary of online scams that falsely promise to expedite visa interview appointments. This warning comes in the wake of a cyber fraud case reported from Bengaluru, where a 45-year-old engineer was duped by a scammer posing as a facilitator on the Telegram messaging app. 

According to reports, the engineer, a resident of RR Nagar, came across a Telegram channel on May 22 that appeared to offer assistance in advancing B-1/B-2 visa interview dates. His appointment was initially set for April 2026. Shortly after joining the channel, he was contacted by someone claiming to be Vanam Sravan Krishna. The individual promised to reschedule the appointment for a fee of ₹10,000. Trusting the offer, the victim shared his US visa portal login credentials and transferred the amount. 

The scammer later sent a forged appointment confirmation and demanded an additional ₹10,000, threatening to change the login credentials if the payment wasn’t made. After the second payment, the fraudster locked the victim out of his visa account by altering the credentials. A case was subsequently filed with the West CEN police on May 24, and investigations are ongoing. 

Following the incident, the US Embassy took to social media to warn applicants that any claim of fast-tracking visa appointments for money is fraudulent. The post emphasized that personal information and login details should never be shared with unverified sources. Embassy officials reiterated that only official platforms should be used for visa-related processes. 

A senior official from the Criminal Investigation Department noted that the applicant may not receive support from the embassy in this case, as he voluntarily shared his credentials and attempted to bypass the official process. According to the officer, the applicant may no longer be able to generate a fresh visa request. 

The incident comes amid evolving visa policies, including proposals reportedly under consideration by US authorities to introduce a $1,000 premium processing fee for faster interview appointments. This follows a broader move to tighten visa screening procedures, including the suspension of new student and visitor visa interviews in several countries. The embassy’s latest alert serves as a reminder to applicants to rely solely on official sources and to be vigilant against offers that appear too good to be true.