Mission Local has put together the following guide to accompany our coverage of immigration fraud on the rise across the Bay Area. You can read that part here.
Immigrant advocacy groups are reporting an alarming trend in the Bay Area, where scams impersonating immigration attorneys are on the rise.
Dalia Blevins, a social worker at Centro Legal de la Raza, said particularly vulnerable populations seem to be targeted most often, including the elderly, those facing deadlines to find a lawyer and those with low literacy skills.
To help our readers recognize the red flags of a scam, Mission Local, with the advice of Mr. Blevins and Luis Rosario Rodriguez, an immigration attorney who works for nonprofit Catholic Charities, has created the following guide.
1. Be careful with your promises.
One of the first warning signs, Blevins said, is when an attorney guarantees or promises a favorable outcome. “Be careful of people who promise you the moon,” Blevins says. In this case, pledging the moon could be an offer to expedite an immigration case or a claim to have special connections within the immigration system.
Blevins said most real lawyers use phrases like “It depends” or “It looks like a strong case, but let’s see what we can do.”
“Nothing is guaranteed in any case,” she said, especially when it comes to immigration law.
2. Avoid informal communication methods
Do not respond to anyone who initiates contact with you via WhatsApp, any form of social media direct message, or personal phone number or email address.
Rodriguez said real attorneys typically communicate through their firm phone number, firm email address, and scheduled consultations, either in person or through a secure video platform.
Lawyers contact potential clients after the client visits the firm, receives a referral from a trusted organization, or fills out an inquiry form.
People in need of legal assistance should also be wary of social media ads on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Even if the ad is for a genuine lawyer, the person posting it may be an imposter.
A clear warning sign of a scam is when a “lawyer” on social media asks you to move the conversation to a private messaging app, or sends you a message that increases the urgency and demands immediate payment.
3. Don’t pay anything until you’ve reviewed the contract
Blevins and Rodriguez say real lawyers won’t ask you to pay until they schedule a consultation to discuss your potential case in detail.
After this discussion, your attorney will draft a contract for both parties to sign. The contract should clearly state the scope of your services (such as what you’re paying to do) and the type and amount of fees you’ll be charged.
According to the California Bar, the three most common types of fee arrangements are fixed fee, flat fee, or retainer fee. Your contract should also outline what your responsibilities as the client will be for assisting with the case.
Blevins and Rodriguez said some scammers offer convincing contracts. Rodriguez said the contracts “look formal, but they contain inaccuracies and inconsistencies.” Blevins recommends reading the contract carefully and searching for any terms you don’t understand to make sure it’s authentic.
For people who can’t read or have limited reading comprehension, Blevins recommends using Google’s text-to-speech feature to listen and better understand the contract. In some cases, the situation is truly urgent and even normally cautious people can be taken advantage of. Blevins has seen scammers specifically target people in custody.
In cases like this, it’s important to remember that there are telltale signs that you’re dealing with a scammer who may be requesting an upfront or first installment payment through an online platform such as Zelle or a wire transfer platform such as Western Union.
Typically, these scammers cut off communications and disappear after receiving payment. Rodriguez stressed that any lawyer demanding payment over the phone is probably not genuine.
4. Check attorney license
All licensed attorneys have a state bar license number, and you can check online to see if they are legally allowed to practice law and act as your attorney. Clients should always ask for and verify this license number before signing contracts, sharing documents, or making payments.
But that’s not all. Some scammers are smart enough to use real attorneys’ attorney numbers and mugshots. So even if you see your attorney listed on the California Bar website, Blevins recommends calling the firm’s number listed by name on the website to verify that you are a client of that attorney. Also, when you write a check or make a payment, always make sure the check is drawn on the attorney’s office listed on the State’s Attorney’s Office website.
