Newcomers to the United States are learning the hard way that this “land of opportunity” is also fertile soil for crooks and scoundrels. Immigrants who haven’t yet “learned the ropes” are quite vulnerable – especially when they’re trying to become U.S. citizens.

Meredith Brown, Immigration Defense Attorney says, “Nationally, the biggest scam is when a notary public, or somebody without the qualifications to actually practice law, tries to play lawyer.” The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office deals with these types of criminals by going undercover. They call their team the Immigration Fraud Strike Force.

Jenaro Batiz-Romero, from the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office says, “The City Attorney’s office here prosecutes individuals that take advantage of immigrants who don’t know how the system works. That’s one of the main reasons why scammers take so much advantage, not only of Latinos, but of people across the border, in the city of Los Angeles, and across the country.”

These types of scams are so rampant that the team is having no problems racking up some impressive statistics. “One of the things that the Immigration Fraud Strike Force in Los Angeles dealt with, by using our undercover detectives, is that we filed cases against 18 different immigration consultants. We have a big number of misdemeanors and charges filed. We also had a very clear violation to the Immigration Consultants Act and also to the Business and Professions Code in Los Angeles, which is what is behind this prosecution and these misdemeanors,” explains Batiz-Romero.

Most common immigration scams

• Impersonating attorneys
• Not explaining that U.S. notaries are not the same as ‘notario publicos’ in other countries
• Claiming they have “inside” connections
• Demanding more money
• Contracts without specific details of service
• Contract in the wrong language
• Failing to specify what they can and cannot do

Law enforcement officials are eager to warn people in the immigrant community before they become victims. “In enumerating the biggest, or the most common types, of offenses in this type of fraud, we can say that it’s common for people to misrepresent themselves as attorneys. They are also passing themselves off as ‘notarios.’ They do this without disclosing that notaries have a different connotation in the United States. They are also promising the client that they have special connections with immigration authorities. They portray themselves as people that know somebody at the federal level that’s going to help their case move along in a faster manner, which they cannot do. Most of the times, or in our case, we found that it was false every time they said something like this. We’ve also found them asking people for a full payment at the beginning of the process- without being able to do so.”

Experts warn that it’s common for scammers to provide contracts that don’t specify the services their offering, in addition to contracts that aren’t in the customer’s native language, and contracts that don’t make it clear just what things the consultant is or isn’t allowed to do.

Experts say that wherever the immigrants are living, the scoundrels won’t be far from them. “They’re very common. And I think they’re even more common in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Miami where there are a lot of immigrants. Especially nowadays, there’s just so much desperation,” says Brown.

Immigration consultants should

• Post certification documents
• Provide proof that they’re bonded
• “I’m not an attorney” sign
• Provide contract in advance
• Use your native language
• Explain that notaries are not ‘notarios’

Many states require immigration consultants to be bonded or licensed – or to at least register. They should post their certificates in their offices. California posts on its website all of the bonded immigration consultants – including their photographs. Most states require them to post signs that say they’re not attorneys.

They should give you a detailed contract in advance and in your own language.

They must tell you that a notary public here is not the same as a notary in other countries . . . in other words, they’re not lawyers.

For convenience, however, some attorneys go through the simple process of also becoming a notary. “I’m also a notary public and I took a course where it took about three hours to become a notary public. Now, to become a lawyer, that’s another story. You have to get an undergraduate degree, and then another three years at an accredited university, and then you have to take a state bar exam, which is grueling – to say the least,” explains Brown.

And watch out for these danger signals.

• Immigration consultants must not
• Give guarantees
• Make promises
• Imply they can influence officials
• Arrange marriages
• Assist with political asylum
• Use false identities
• Hit you up for more money

They can’t make promises or give guarantees about the outcome of your case. They must not even imply that they can influence any public official.

They can’t arrange marriages.

They must not offer to help you get political asylum. They must not offer to give you someone else’s identity. And finally, they must not hit you up for more money than your contract specifies.