USCIS and Immigration Scams with Officer Arwen FitzGerald

Listen to an in-depth discussion about USCIS and Immigration Scams with USCIS Public Affairs Officer Arwen FitzGerald

• Intro
• Recent Phone and Email Scams
• USCIS never requests payment or info via phone/phone!
• Good and Bad Smart Phone Apps
• USCIS.gov Common Scams Webpage
• TPS Re-registration Scams
• Immigration Scam in India
• Tip about INS and DHS/USCIS logo
• I-9 and Email Scams targeting Employers
• “Notarios Públicos”
• Visa Lottery Scams
• Job Offer Scams
• Scams targeting Students
• Good and Bad Immigration Websites
• How to get HELP

USCIS.gov Common Scams Webpage https://www.uscis.gov/avoid-scams/common-scams

If you need help with your questions:

• Call USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (For people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability: TTY 800-767-1833);
• Ask Emma (a virtual assistant that answers questions and helps you navigate our the USCIS.gov website);
• Find authorized legal help: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/board-of-immigration-appeals

More Immigration Scam resources

MUST READ!!!!! In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero (Chapter 3 to Chapter 5)

DOJ.gov: EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR IMMIGRATION REVIEW https://www.justice.gov/eoir

DOJ.gov: FIND LEGAL REPRESENTATION https://www.justice.gov/eoir/find-legal-representation

DOJ.gov: LIST OF PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS https://www.justice.gov/eoir/list-pro-bono-legal-service-providers

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION: FTC in English https://www.ftc.gov/

COMISIÓN FEDERAL DE COMERCIO: FTC en español https://www.ftc.gov/es

FTC.gov: How Myriam and Pedro Learned about Notario Scams https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/www.consumer.ftc.gov/files/articles/pdf/pdf-0203-fotonovela-notario-scams.pdf

FTC.gov:Cómo se enteraron Myriam y Pedro de las estafas de notario https://www.consumidor.ftc.gov/articulos/spdf-0203-estafas-de-notario.pdf

FTC.gov:All FTC.gov Fotonovelas https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0031-fotonovelas https://www.consumidor.ftc.gov/destacado/destacado-s0031-fotonovelas

FTC.gov: Order Fotonovelas copies from bulkorder.ftc.gov

FTC.gov: Immigration scams are illegal. If you or someone you know has seen an immigration scam or been the victim of one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint or 1-877-382-4357. (1-877-FTC-HELP)

FTC.gov YouTube Channel (short videos in English, Spanish, and Chinese) https://www.youtube.com/user/FTCvideos

FTCvideos: How to File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission https://youtu.be/3LvMO5UMCl8

FTCvideos: Scams Against Immigrants | Federal Trade Commission Moncia Vaca, an attorney with the FTC, describes the scams that someone can come across while in the immigration process, how to avoid the scams, and how to report them. https://youtu.be/zC6d9s8pb4E

FTCvideos: Estafas y el proceso de inmigración Monica Vaca, una abogada con La Comisión Federal de Comercio, describe las estafas que se pueden presentar durante el proceso de inmigración y cómo evitar y reportar las. https://youtu.be/jVChUbk1Bcs

USCIS YouTube Channel (short videos in English, Spanish, Chinese and more) https://www.youtube.com/user/uscis/

USCIS: The Wrong Help Can Hurt: Beware of Immigration Scams https://youtu.be/s5CXht-Vs94

USCIS: Civics Test Study Tools App https://youtu.be/x2cgFesG6qY

uscitizenpod YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod/ Subtitled videos of recent podcasts are posted on this channel as well as mock Citizenship videos of my students. I will be reporting exerpts of this podcast as short, subtitled videos.

uscitizenpod: IRS (and USCIS) Imposter Scams I got a threatening call from someone pretending to be an IRS agent. My students have rec'd similar calls from someone pretending to be a USCIS agent. Learn how to file a complaint with FTC.gov. https://youtu.be/CLHpOcMtzZs