{"id":9821,"date":"2024-04-18T15:39:24","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T19:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/?p=9821"},"modified":"2025-11-21T19:16:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T00:16:26","slug":"avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoiding Scams: Staying Safe Online"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-content.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-content.jpg 620w, https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-content-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Image courtesy of Pexels<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many online scams designed to trick people interested in coming to the USA as an au pair. Here are our tips to keep you safe and avoid being scammed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>HOW TO AVOID BEING SCAMMED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do not communicate with \u2018host families\u2019 on social media.&nbsp; Facebook and Instagram are popular platforms used by scammers pretending to be host families. If you do communicate with a family online, tell them to contact <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aupairusa.org\/\">Au Pair USA<\/a> for information about becoming an approved host family.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Never send money to anyone you meet online!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We do not collect program fees directly from au pairs. We work through our approved local partner agencies in the countries where we operate.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Au Pair USA and Interexchange employees use emails that end in <a href=\"http:\/\/interexchange.org\/\">interexchange.org<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our official websites are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aupairusa.org\/au-pair\/\">Au Pair USA<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.interexchange.org\/\">InterExchange<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our application forms are all online on our secure platform.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>How to become an au pair in the USA with InterExchange Au Pair USA&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aupairusa.org\/au-pair\/\">our website<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aupairusa.org\/au-pair\/become-an-au-pair\/\">requirements<\/a> for becoming an au pair.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fill out our <a href=\"https:\/\/passport.aupairusa.org\/au-pair-inquiry\">online<\/a> form, and we\u2019ll put you in contact with the local cooperator in your country.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They will provide you with program information, meet with you in person, and help you <a href=\"https:\/\/passport.aupairusa.org\/au-pair-inquiry\">apply online<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Once your application has been approved, host families and au pairs communicate using our online matching system (not Facebook or Instagram).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The J-1 visa application process requires you to have an in-person interview at your local US embassy or consulate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.interexchange.org\/about-us\/avoid-scams-and-stay-safe-online\">https:\/\/www.interexchange.org\/about-us\/avoid-scams-and-stay-safe-online<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/j1visa.state.gov\/programs\/au-pair\">https:\/\/j1visa.state.gov\/programs\/au-pair<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iapa.org\/\">https:\/\/www.iapa.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/study\/exchange.html\">https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/study\/exchange.html<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact us if want to check if a person you are speaking to is legitimately associated with Interexchange Au Pair USA or to report a scam at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:apdossier@interexchange.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">apdossier@interexchange.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many online scams designed to trick people interested in coming to the USA as an au pair. Here are our tips to keep you safe and avoid being scammed. HOW TO AVOID BEING SCAMMED How to become an au pair in the USA<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/\">&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":9822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-au-pair-advice"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Avoiding Scams: Staying Safe Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Protect yourself from au pair scams! Learn how to identify fake host families, avoid online fraud, and safely apply to the Au Pair USA program.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Avoiding Scams: Staying Safe Online\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Protect yourself from au pair scams! Learn how to identify fake host families, avoid online fraud, and safely apply to the Au Pair USA program.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Au Pair USA Life - Au Pair Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-18T19:39:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-22T00:16:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-content.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"InterExchange Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"InterExchange Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"InterExchange Staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/fe33aba048c90f06daac1011ec97f0be\"},\"headline\":\"Avoiding Scams: Staying Safe Online\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-18T19:39:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-22T00:16:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/\"},\"wordCount\":323,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-content.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice for Au Pairs\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/\",\"name\":\"Avoiding Scams: Staying Safe Online\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/avoiding-scams-staying-safe-online\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-content.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-18T19:39:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-22T00:16:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/fe33aba048c90f06daac1011ec97f0be\"},\"description\":\"Protect yourself from au pair scams! 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