SCAM ALERT: VERIFY SENDER
Fraudulent emails and messages have circulated social media, pretending as communications from federal immigration agencies, that falsely promise migrants legal representation for obtaining a Green Card in exchange for a small fee. Scammers specifically target Spanish-speaking who want to apply for immigration status. The emails also falsely claim that failure to respond to the message could result in a “negative report in the migration system,” making individuals “prone to deportation.” One of the scam emails pretends to be sent from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). While USCIS is a real federal agency in charge of processing immigration cases, one of the ways to know if the email is truly from the agency is to verify the domain name of where the email originated from. Check domain: All government agencies in the United States end in a “.gov” and often ask the user to visit their official platform (also ending in .gov) to access any information pertaining to their case. Another thing to keep in mind is that USCIS, along with other agencies, do not include sensitive information about someone’s case in the emails sent. It is to ensure that no personal information could be leaked if the email is shared or accessed by individuals other than the applicant. USCIS will only contact you through official government channels and will not contact you through your personal social media accounts. Through WhatsApp, migrants have also been receiving messages from people who pretend as immigration lawyers.