A South Florida immigration attorney is raising the alarm about fake lawyers on social media. The warnings comes after someone tried to impersonate him. 7’s Courtney Allen investigates.
Edith is a US citizen, raised in Guatemala. She says her world collapsed last month after her husband was detained by [Immigrations and Customs Enforcement] leaving her alone with their one-year-old son.
Edith: “It was Wednesday morning when they took him away and my heart broke in two.”
Her husband, Dimas, is the family’s main provider. Desperate to help him, she went to where she thought she could get answers: Social media.
Edith “I started looking for these lawyers on TikTok Live and then I received a message when I left the live and someone told me, ‘My partner was arrested and this lawyer took him out.'”
Edith says she drained her savings and sold her car to hire a lawyer she found on TikTok.
Edith: “Every day she sent me emails from [U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services] and immigration and I believed her because she asked me for forms to sign, for money. Then she said that she would upload it to the immigration platform.”
She paid more than $10,000, thinking it would all pay off to finally bring her husband home.
Edith: “Then my partner calls me and tells me, ‘Your lawyer didn’t arrive, didn’t enter the video call, the judge was waiting for her, and our lawyer doesn’t even show up in the system,'”.
The lawyer she paid was not a lawyer at all. The scam is becoming more common thanks to social media and artificial intelligence.
Jorge Rivera: “They will copy videos, pictures, they’ll copy retainers, they will copy signatures, they will copy immigration documents to where they’ll show them a permanent resident card.”
South Florida immigration lawyer Jorge Rivera has seen this first hand. He says scammers including the woman who Edith hired, have used his credentials and his law firm’s information to target immigrants.
Jorge Rivera: “We’ve had clients that have been, you know, that have come to us and they’ve been defrauded to the tune of 20, 30, 40, $50,000.”
He says it’s gotten so elaborate, it’s hard to detect to the naked eye.
Jorge Rivera: “They have a virtual hearing and they will do anything using artificial intelligence, using these, you know, made up studios to make them believe that they are engaging with a real, they’re having a real legitimate experience.”
It’s not just lawyers being used for scams. Charitable organizations who help immigrants say they are also being used as a means to take money from families.
Kevin Brennan: “We started hearing reports of people claiming to be Catholic Charities and other organizations that provide legal services to immigrants and refugees.”
Kevin Brennan of Catholic Charities says the scammers are taking advantage of scared and frantic families trying to help their loved ones.
Kevin Brennan: “These are people who are very seriously looking for assistance and are in their darkest hour in some cases, and these are people who are taking advantage of that desperation.”
For Edith, the damage is done. She says she doesn’t have any more money to hire another lawyer.
Her husband has suggested she go back to Guatemala even though she is a U.S. Citizen.
Edith: “He told me I better go to Guatemala because I have no family, I don’t have money to pay my rent, electricity, or milk and I don’t have anyone.”
ICE also says scammers are impersonating them online.
If you are in a similar situation, report to local authorities. We have more tips on how to protect yourself below.
Courtney Allen, 7News.
CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Immigrations and Custom Enforcement Tip Line
Call 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423)
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