US EditionImmigration Street Sweeps Led to More ‘Collateral’ Arrests of Noncriminals
Federal complaints nearly doubled in 2025 as fake lawyers and impostor agents exploited immigrants' fear of deportation and stole at least $94.4 million.
- Federal complaints of immigration scams have doubled since President Donald Trump began his crackdown, with ProPublica reporting at least $94.4 million in losses over five years and the Federal Trade Commission receiving nearly 2,000 complaints in 2025 alone.
- Criminal networks frequently employ 'notario fraud,' exploiting mistranslations in Latin American countries where public notaries hold lawyer-equivalent status, then advertise fake legal services on Facebook and WhatsApp to vulnerable immigrants.
- Urbina lost nearly $10,000 to a scammer using the name 'Susan Millan' before being deported, while Mariela was cheated out of more than $18,000 over three months by fraudsters in a sophisticated scheme.
- Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg urged Meta to suspend imposter accounts where criminality is alleged, while New York and Florida enacted laws in 2025 increasing penalties for notario fraud.
- Legal experts at the American Immigration Lawyers Association advise verifying attorney licenses and avoiding instant payment apps like Zelle, as Charity Anastasio warned these scams "hurt the rule of law" and damage the justice system.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Missouri Independent
Immigration street sweeps led to more ‘collateral’ arrests of noncriminals
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Fear and Opportunity: Immigration Scams Surged as Trump’s Sweeps Lured Desperate People to Eager Defrauders
Con artists posing as ICE agents and immigration officers are using WhatsApp and fake court hearings to bilk vulnerable people out of their savings with empty promises to fix immigration problems. As mass deportations continue, scam complaints soar.
Deportation fears create a new frontier for scammers targeting immigrants
With the Trump administration ramping up ICE raids and mass deportations, some immigrants are falling victim to scammers going after these vulnerable communities. Many of the targeted immigrants, including those who are in the country legally, say they’ve lost thousands of dollars and are often left with no recourse.How are these scams perpetrated? Legal organizations and immigrant rights groups “have warned that scams targeting immigrants and a…
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