The California Attorney General’s Office has issued a warning to immigrant communities about scams related to immigration assistance. This warning comes amid growing concerns about the immigration detention and deportation policies of the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
The warning highlights the danger of “notario fraud,” where individuals impersonate legal experts for profit. According to the Attorney General’s Office, in many Latin American countries, a “notario” is a licensed attorney, but in the United States, a notary public is not authorized to provide legal immigration services.
The agency advises people to verify the qualifications of those who offer assistance with immigration matters. To assist, they also provide search tools such as ICE’s detainee locator (locator.ice.gov) and the immigration court information system (acis.eoir.justice.gov) to track those in detention.
According to NBC Bay Area, this fraud situation has become more serious as there has been an increase in anxiety and uncertainty in the immigrant community.
