Immigrants - the new goal of fraudsters: how not to become a victim

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Amid reports of illegal immigrant detention due to the Trump administration’s controversial immigration program, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman warns the public about repeated reports of fraud. The main goal of the perpetrators is immigrants. They impersonate an immigration and customs control officer (ICE) to extort money.

“Scammers play on fear in immigrant communities by pretending to be ICE officers and demanding money from immigrants to avoid deportation,” the prosecutor said in a Wednesday, February 15, breaking news release.

The Ministry of Justice received massive reports of extortion by fake representatives of ICE. In one case, 4 men in the form of ICE officers approached one immigrant who lives in Queens and said that if he did not give them all his money, he would be detained.

How to recognize fraudsters

Fraud takes different forms, but, as a rule, the result is the same - to draw money from an immigrant in exchange for avoiding deportation.

The Attorney General cited several immigration fraud tactics:

1. Calls on behalf of non-existent officials

Among the most common types of fraud are calls and text messages from individuals who appear to be government officials. While the number itself often looks impressive, USCIS officers and ICE officers will never ask to pay the bill by phone. Be wary of those who ask you to provide personal or confidential information, or require payment, threatening to be deported.

2. Scammers disguised as ICE officers

Remember, ICE officers will never ask for money or threaten you with deportation if you don’t pay. The officers also cannot enter the house without a warrant signed by the judge.

3. Swindle notaries

In many Latin American countries, a notary has the right to provide legal services. Unscrupulous notaries who are not entitled to this use immigrants, charging for documents that they never provide.

4. Distortion of legal services

Some people claim that they can represent the rights of immigrants in courts or immigration services. They charge exorbitant fees for their Services, but often only create more problems, allowing people to relinquish their legal rights.

5. General misinformation

There are fraudsters who ask for payment to speed up the application process, allegedly using contacts in the immigration service, or provide false information about the right to change immigration status

How to avoid becoming a victim of fraudsters:

• Work only with licensed attorneys. You can check the credentials of a person by contacting the state or local board.
• Never sign any documents that you somehow do not understand, and remember that no one has the right to enter your home without a warrant signed by the judge.
• Do not make any payments by phone or email, even if you are threatened.

If you suspect that you have been a victim of immigration fraud, please contact the hotline: 866-390-2992 or email: [email protected].

A hotline representative will never ask for your immigration status or exchange information with immigration federal agencies.

Recall immigration police raided several states in the USAduring which 680 arrested illegal immigrants.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Trump spoke about new measures to protect against migrants and about relations with Russia

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