Because of her illegal status in the country, we’re calling this immigrant Jesse. A few weeks ago, she hired an immigration lawyer she saw on TikTok, but turns out it was really a scammer who took thousands of dollars from her.
“With the new president, we’re not safe anywhere,” Jesse said.
Jesse is the mother of two young children and has had a deportation order for more than 10 years, so the images of immigrants being detained by federal authorities have her living in fear and hiding.
“Before leaving my house, I look through my windows to check for suspicious cars, and I run to the car,” Jesse told NBC 7 Responds in Spanish.
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The desperation of being able to walk outside without any fear is what motivated Jesse to send a message via TikTok to someone she thought was an immigration lawyer.
“He said, ‘If you have a deportation order, we can help you and stop it,'" Jesse said.
She told NBC 7 those words gave her the hope she had been looking for, for over a decade.
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Through WhatsApp, the apparent lawyer told her he could help stop the deportation process for $3,500. He asked for half of the amount to start the process. Jesse sent him $1,750 via Zelle. Minutes later, Jesse saw the first sign that the person she was talking to wasn’t a lawyer but a scammer.
“I asked for the contract, but he wouldn’t send it,” Jesse said.
“A lot of immigrants, because they are afraid, and they’re deportable, they're responding to social media from lawyers or people posing to be lawyers, saying, ‘We can cancel your deportation,’" said Esther Valdez-Clayton, a real immigration lawyer. "When in fact, it is very difficult."
Scammers are cashing in on the desperation and hope of undocumented immigrants like Jesse.
“He just wanted all my information. He wanted me to give him my email password,” Jesse said.
She says the so-called lawyer wanted the information so he could check on the status of her case.
“That is a huge red flag if the attorney is asking for your password to your computer, bank account, even your immigration password,” Valdes-Clayton said.
What to do before hiring a lawyer
Ask for their name, license number and address. Then verify that person has an active license with the State Bar of California.
“Another red flag is asking for money before you sign a contract,” Valdes-Clayton said.
Jesse did not provide her email password. She hung up and never heard from the scammer again. She believes the person wanted to get access to her bank account.
She said she called NBC 7 Responds because she wants to prevent others from believing in people who are selling false hopes of legalization.
“When someone is afraid, they believe everything,” Jesse said.
Even though Jesse has been married to a U.S. citizen for more than five years, and they have a child together, she can’t legalize her status in the country because she has a deportation order, not because she committed a crime, but because federal authorities found out about her status in the country.
Jesse is so ashamed for giving money to someone she thought was an immigration lawyer, she hasn’t told her husband. He still thinks she has an immigration case open.
