Patterns that repeat
Many immigration scams follow familiar scripts. Someone impersonates a government agency and demands payment by gift card, wire, or cryptocurrency to avoid arrest or deportation, which is not how government agencies collect fees. A notario or consultant who is neither a lawyer nor an accredited representative offers to file applications, sometimes for benefits the person does not qualify for. Copycat websites imitate official pages and charge for forms that are free or cheaper when obtained directly from the government. Accredited representatives can be looked up on the Justice Department's roster, and lawyers can be confirmed through the state court system's attorney search. Promises of guaranteed approval or special connections inside an agency are warning signs on their own.
The first days after you suspect one
Stop sending money and stop sharing documents with the person or company. Collect everything you have: receipts, contracts, text messages, call logs, business cards, and copies of anything filed in your name. Find out what was actually submitted to USCIS or the immigration court, because a scam can leave behind a real application containing false information, or a deadline that quietly passed. If you handed over identity documents, consider steps to protect against identity theft. You can report the scheme to the Federal Trade Commission and, in New York, to the state Attorney General; a report does not change your immigration status on its own.
Sorting out the damage
Our first conversation focuses on what the scammer did in your name and whether anything pending needs to be withdrawn, corrected, or defended. An application with false statements can affect future cases, and how it is handled matters. We also check for missed hearings or notices sent to an address you no longer use. Where money was taken, we discuss whether a complaint, a civil claim, or a dispute through your payment provider is worth pursuing. The immigration problem and the money problem usually run on separate tracks, and the immigration side tends to be more urgent.
