Deportation Fears Make Immigrants Easy Targets For Scams

In nan 30 years she’s lived successful New York, Odalys González Silvera said she’d seen everything. But she wasn’t prepared for what happened to her recently.

“Although I sought proposal and researched a number of things, unluckily I fell unfortunate to migration fraud. I deliberation this net point doesn’t help,” she said.

González Silvera, 61, a Venezuelan migrant and a ineligible resident of nan U.S., runs a mini market shop distribution business successful nan Bronx. She said her life changed dramatically aft she sought ineligible thief for a family personnel successful migration detention successful Arizona.

After seeking a lawyer location who was incapable to make advancement connected nan case, González Silvera said she contacted a Facebook relationship that appeared to beryllium to a rule patient called “Berman & Associates,” wherever a personification who identified himself arsenic lawyer Enrique De Jesus Duarte promised her that he could unafraid nan family member’s merchandise “within a maximum of 15 days.”

In respective WhatsApp video calls, González Silvera said, that personification explained nan case’s advancement to her and past sent her documents via chat and email akin to those utilized by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that seemed to show that nan lawsuit was progressing well.

Odalys González Silvera says she sought ineligible migration thief done societal media and was scammed.Albinson Linares / Noticias Telemundo

“They show you an agency pinch each their things, their diplomas and nan American flag. It’s a really bully show, pinch scenery and everything. I, who was observant astir truthful galore things, ended up successful a trap,” González Silvera said.

Legal and migration experts told Noticias Telemundo that fraud schemes done societal networks person go much communal successful caller months amid nan surge successful migration arrests and detentions nether President Donald Trump’s administration.

A reappraisal of nan Facebook relationship González Silvera responded to recovered it is nary longer active. There was nary consequence aft an effort to scope nan alleged rule patient done interaction accusation provided connected a website. Additionally, Noticias Telemundo requested remark from 2 rule firms called Berman & Associates, but neither responded. There was besides nary grounds that these firms aliases immoderate of their lawyers are connected to nan González Silvera case.

Noticias Telemundo besides contacted an lawyer named Enrique De Jesús Duarte, who responded successful an email that he had to create a website “aimed astatine alerting nan nationalist astir nan anticipation that 1 aliases much group are trying to impersonate me.” Duarte added that he could not thief González Silvera’s family personnel because he has ne'er handled migration cases. “I americium sorry to perceive that personification has been nan unfortunate of personality theft,” he said.

Noticias Telemundo searched nationalist records of U.S. lawyers — including authorities databases and master directories — for nan names utilized by nan group who contacted nan victims interviewed successful this story. In respective cases, nary verifiable matches were found. In others, nan names belonged to existent lawyers who indicated they had nary relationship to nan events described successful this report.

As portion of this report, location were attempts to interaction nan accounts, telephone numbers and email addresses utilized successful nan alleged schemes, arsenic good arsenic nan firms and individuals mentioned by nan victims. However, astatine nan clip of this story’s publication, we had not received immoderate response, nor did we find immoderate grounds that those firms aliases immoderate lawyer were related to nan González Silvera case.

The emergence of scams

From nan very beginning, González Silvera began paying nan scammers via Zelle physics transfers. She first transferred $870 for them to return nan case, past $1,230 for filling retired a form, past $2,427 for a expected bond, and she besides had to nonstop $961 for nan lawyer’s expected “travel expenses,” moreover though nan lawyer ne'er visited her family member. In total, she spent $5,488.

“I’m not going to get nan money back, but this is simply a learning experience,” she said, adding that nan worst portion was getting her detained family member’s hopes up.

González Silvera realized she was being scammed erstwhile they started asking her for an further $1,241 to bargain taxation stamps related to nan Venezuelan regime.

“That’s erstwhile I said, ‘But what taxation stamps if Venezuela has nary negotiated practice successful nan United States?’ But it was already excessively late,” she said.

González Silvera’s lawsuit is not unique.

Noticias Telemundo precocious published nan communicative of Evelyn Molina, a Peruvian migrant and asylum-seeker who was scammed by a purported rule patient connected Facebook that promised her residency done a fictitious virtual hearing. This revealed a shape of scams involving clone rule firms and lawyer personality theft targeting hopeless immigrants.

“With caller changes successful ICE practices, these scammers are progressively utilizing blase artificial intelligence devices done societal media platforms for illustration Facebook, Instagram and particularly WhatsApp,” said Pedro Alemán-Perfecto, an migration argumentation advocator astatine CLINIC, nan Catholic Legal Immigration Network. “We’ve seen astir 30 aliases 40 cases of fraud successful nan past year, and that’s a lot.”

The Federal Trade Commission warns that integer fraud is connected nan rise: In 2024 alone, 2.6 cardinal reports of this crime were registered.

'People don't study it retired of fear'

Following nan study connected Evelyn Molina’s case, Noticias Telemundo received much than a twelve complaints from Hispanic group who declare to person been victims of akin immigration-related scams.

Six immigrants successful 5 states — New York, Michigan, Florida, Iowa and Washington — mislaid betwixt $1,300 and $11,000 to criminal networks operating connected Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. All nan accounts shared nan aforesaid pattern: Social media ads, promises of speedy solutions, clone video telephone hearings aliases consultations, and ligament transfers made to individuals.

“Systems for illustration Zelle, Venmo and PayPal don’t person nan protections of a regular bank. If personification claiming to beryllium a lawyer asks you for money that way, it’s a reddish flag,” said Jacqueline Watson, an migration lawyer and nan first vice president of nan American Immigration Lawyers Association.

A national canvass by KFF and The New York Times released successful November recovered that 41% of U.S. immigrants — including group who had go citizens aliases obtained ineligible residency — feared that they aliases a family personnel could beryllium detained aliases deported, a important summation from 2023, erstwhile 26% of immigrants felt nan same. One successful 5 (22%) said they personally knew personification who had been arrested, detained aliases deported since Trump took office, astir 3 times nan 8% who said truthful conscionable successful April of nan aforesaid year.

Three retired of 10 immigrants (30%) reported being acrophobic and said they constricted their information successful activities extracurricular nan location since Trump became president — including avoiding travel, seeking aesculapian attraction aliases going to work.

According to immoderate experts, this paralyzing fearfulness and desperation are factors that scammers utilization to put their criminal schemes into action.

In astir of nan cases analyzed by Noticias Telemundo, nan affected individuals decided not to study nan scams for fearfulness that it could impact their migration position aliases processes.

“Why should we complain? Now immigrants person nary authorities here, we are worthless,” González Silvera said.

Brayan López, who lives successful Michigan, says he was scammed by a clone attorney. Albinson Linares / Noticias Telemundo

Brayan López, a 26-year-old Mexican migrant who useful successful attraction successful Detroit, knowledgeable a akin scam to González Silvera’s. He recovered a clone lawyer connected a Facebook page, identified arsenic Tomás Huerta, who subjected him to a expected charismatic proceeding via WhatsApp.

“The video telephone seemed clone to maine because nan feline was moreover wearing a wig. It was for illustration a tribunal hearing, and they had nan American emblem successful nan background,” said López, who added he mislaid $1,300 successful nan scam. “People don’t study it for fearfulness of being deported. That’s why they don’t talk astir what happens to them.”

Julián Jiménez, a 40-year-old Colombian erstwhile constabulary serviceman surviving successful Kissimmee, Florida, has been waiting for asylum for six years. He said he trusted a group of scammers that utilized nan sanction of Catholic Charities, one of nan astir respected migrant assistance organizations successful nan country.

On Facebook, Jiménez clicked connected ads for a expected branch of Catholic Charities successful Washington, D.C. There, according to Jiménez, he was contacted by a man who identified himself arsenic lawyer Óscar García. García called him, reviewed his case, and promised him a way to residency, charging him a full of $4,500 successful respective installments. His case, of course, went nowhere.

“They’re utilizing our belief to scam us. It’s very sad that they’re playing pinch nan feelings of group who want to beryllium successful this beautiful country,” said Jiménez, who hasn’t reported his lawsuit to nan authorities. “We’re acrophobic to attack nan due authorities because of each nan arrests that are happening correct now.”

Julián Jiménez, seen present pinch his wife, said he was scammed by group impersonating Catholic Charities.Julián Jiménez

Catholic Charities has publicly warned that its representatives are being impersonated to scam immigrants.

“Scammers are utilizing nan name, images, and likeness of Catholic Charities USA — aliases conscionable nan sanction Catholic Charities successful wide — to scam immigrants by promising them services and past not pursuing through” Cecilia Baxter, an lawyer pinch Catholic Charities, said successful a caller question and reply with nan Catholic Worldwide Network.

Nelson Torres Sifontes, a 40-year-old Venezuelan surviving successful Tampa, Florida, said that pursuing Trump management restrictions connected impermanent protected position and asylum, he turned to Facebook to effort to amended his migration status. He contacted personification who identified herself connected Facebook arsenic “Attorney Luciana Miller,” who promised to get his greenish paper quickly.

Noticias Telemundo recovered nary grounds of a lawyer named Luciana Miller successful nan directories of nan American Bar Association, successful different U.S. master directories, aliases successful web searches wrong nan United States.

Torres said that they first charged him $370, and past $2,000. Although Torres says they sent him expected USCIS documents astir his case, he became alarmed erstwhile they demanded an further $5,000, which he had to salary wrong a month.

He told Noticias Telemundo that what impressed him astir was nan sophistication of nan scam, because nan fraudsters replicated a virtual migration proceeding down to nan past detail.

“It was truthful perfect. It’s for illustration erstwhile you spell to a judge, everything was identical, but it was virtual. A personification was dressed arsenic if they were an official, pinch nan United States flag. And that’s wherever I fto myself get caught up,” said Torres, who has not revenge immoderate title pinch nan authorities.

“I would for illustration to prosecute a lawyer, but I’m acrophobic because an acquaintance of excavation was already taken distant and he besides had TPS,” he said.

Rogelio Martín Morales, a 43-year-old Guatemalan migrant surviving successful Fort Dodge, Iowa, was facing delays successful his asylum lawsuit erstwhile he decided to interaction an migration rule patient done Facebook, which he began making mini payments to complete nan people of a year. However, nan rule patient turned retired to beryllium fake. He said he ended up losing astir $11,000 done Zelle, slope transfers and remittances to individuals.

“Sometimes it makes maine sad. One time I moreover started crying. ... It’s been very hard,” Morales said.

Rogelio Martín Morales said he mislaid $11,000 to scammers who staged clone hearings and sent him what he thought were charismatic documents.Rogelio Martín Morales

Morales said nan scammers group up clone hearings via video telephone and sent him purported charismatic documents. According to Morales, he realized it was a scam erstwhile nan expected lawyers told him that USCIS had sent immoderate documents to his home, but because he was astatine work, nan message bearer returned them, and to get them backmost he would person to salary moreover much money.

“I didn’t study that because correct now I’m afraid, mostly that they’ll drawback maine aliases return maine retired of this country,” he said.

Of nan group who contacted Noticias Telemundo to stock their cases, only 1 family revenge a title pinch their section sheriff’s office, but not pinch migration authorities aliases nan FBI.

This was nan lawsuit of Miguel Melillo, a 51-year-old Venezuelan resident of Vancouver, Washington, who spent 2 months negotiating pinch a purported rule patient called “Sánches & Asociados,” which he recovered done an Instagram ad.

Noticias Telemundo recovered nary grounds of a patient named “Sánches & Asociados” successful U.S. lawyer directories, master registries aliases web searches.

Melillo says his first interaction was pinch a female who identified herself arsenic lawyer Victoria Hernández, who supposedly reviewed his case. He past had a video telephone pinch personification who presented himself arsenic a USCIS charismatic successful a abstraction resembling a authorities office, complete pinch nan American emblem and diplomas connected nan walls.

Then they explained nan steps for nan citizenship interview. When that time arrived, Melillo and his woman woke up astatine 5 a.m. waiting for nan call. When they were yet contacted astatine 9 a.m., thing caught their attention.

The USCIS officer, Melillo said, was nan aforesaid head of nan rule firm, only he had grown a mustache and nan agency was different. “The segment down it was thing other wholly — he had American flags and things for illustration that,” Melillo recalled. “Everything was good prepared.”

Melillo said nan rule patient asked for $3,687 to “process” his greenish card. However, Melillo says he only mislaid $2,500 successful full because he stopped paying erstwhile he realized nan emails he was receiving from USCIS didn’t person nan “.gov” domain, emblematic of U.S. authorities agencies, but alternatively ended successful “.net” aliases “.com.”

Noticias Telemundo requested charismatic comments and information connected these types of scams from nan Department of Justice, nan FBI and USCIS. Only USCIS responded, done spokesperson Matthew J. Tragesser, who said successful an email that nan agency has declared “all-out warfare connected migration fraud successful each its forms.”

“Immigration scammers lend to an situation of disorder, undermining our migration strategy and posing risks to nationalist and nationalist safety,” Tragesser said.

USCIS pointed to a recent national lawsuit successful nan Eastern District of New York successful which 5 group were charged successful February 2026 for allegedly impersonating migration judges, agents and lawyers done a web that operated connected Facebook, pinch much than $100,000 successful fraudulent transactions identified.

Noticias Telemundo besides contacted Meta, nan institution that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, nan 3 platforms wherever nan frauds analyzed successful this reporting originated. The institution launched an investigation into nan accounts connected its platforms linked to these cases and proceeded to delete them.

Daniel Roberts, a spokesperson for Meta, responded successful a connection saying nan institution does not want “this type of contented connected our platforms. It violates our policies, and we region it arsenic soon arsenic we observe it.” Roberts said that Meta’s activity regarding these scams “never ends” because criminals “constantly accommodate and create caller methods to circumvent our systems.”

Meta recently revealed that successful 2025 it removed much than 159 cardinal fraudulent ads, 92% earlier anyone reported them, and dismantled 10.9 cardinal accounts connected Facebook and Instagram linked to criminal scam hubs.

The FTC, for its part, reported that successful 2024, U.S. consumers mislaid $12.5 cardinal to fraud, a 25% summation complete nan erstwhile year, pinch personality theft scams being nan astir predominant category, pinch losses of $2.95 billion.

How to debar immigration-related scams

Experts work together connected immoderate basal recommendations for group seeking ineligible proposal related to their migration position aliases cases.

First, verify nan attorney’s license. All states person a website wherever you tin corroborate whether an lawyer aliases accredited typical has an progressive believe license.

Don’t salary via Zelle aliases instant transportation systems. Legitimate ineligible organizations and backstage lawyers ever coming a general statement and cod costs successful a planned manner, not instantly.

Go to offices successful person: Reliable organizations ever effort to meet pinch nan customer successful personification earlier starting immoderate procedures.

Be wary of group who opportunity they tin resoluteness migration cases quickly. “If they are promising to complete your lawsuit successful a month, that is not going to happen,” said Alemán-Perfecto, nan CLINIC migration argumentation advocate.

Don’t motion blank forms. Scammers often nonstop forms akin to charismatic documents via societal media, but they are blank truthful that group motion them quickly without having nan opportunity to reappraisal them carefully.

Consult pinch 2 aliases 3 different ineligible representatives earlier deciding whom to use. Experts insist that it’s ever important to comparison opinions.

Use reliable free resources. Websites specified arsenic cliniclegal.org, USCIS and different migration organizations connection free resources and guidance.

González Silvera agreed pinch nan experts’ proposal and said she decided to stock her communicative because “people request to understand that they must beryllium very observant pinch these scams.”

In nan meantime, she has hired a pro bono lawyer to thief pinch her family member’s case.

González Silvera has a proposal for those seeking ineligible proposal connected migration cases.

“I deliberation migration matters should each beryllium done successful person, going to nan office, gathering nan people. I thought thing could beryllium done good online,” she said. “But that didn’t activity retired astatine all.”

An earlier type of this article was first published connected Noticias Telemundo.