February 21, 2025
Some fraudsters in the United States and Canada are reportedly trying to scam Iranian-Americans and Iranian-Canadians by pretending to be officials of the Islamic Republic offering consular services for a fee. The Iranian Interests Section in Washington, DC, and the Consular Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran issued an official wanting January 25 cautioning Iranians in North America to beware of such scams.
The statement comes in response to reports suggesting that certain individuals or groups are falsely presenting themselves as representatives of the Iranian government, claiming to offer consular services for Iranian residents and students in the US and Canada. These individuals have been using advertisements, particularly in cyberspace, to exploit unsuspecting citizens and profit from their services.
The Interests Section in Washington posted a notice on its website saying, “The Office for the Protection of the Interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Washington, D.C. is the only official authority for conducting consular affairs for Iranians on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran in North America and does not have any other representative or office anywhere in North America.”
The Islamic Republic urged its citizens in both countries to use only the Iranian Interests Section in Washington, DC, for consular matters, and to send all documents directly to that office by mail. Consular services include such things as registering births and marriages, renewing passports, recording deaths, providing verified translations into English of official Iranian documents and registering men for the draft.