April 12, 2006
Scammers tend to follow the news, pushing schemes that carry just a hint of credibility because the victim may have recently heard something about it on the news. It happened with the medicare prescription drug benefit, and now it's happening with immigration.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is warning that scammers are targeting Hispanic immigrants, claiming they can help them apply for benefits under a guest worker program.
No such program exists, but because news reports have been covering Congressional debate over immigration legislation, some immigrants are easily persuaded that they are entitled to benefits. Some reports indicate scammers are extracting fees from the immigrants for as much as $1,000.
Immigration advocacy groups say they are desperately trying to get the word out that no guest worker benefit program exists, and that illegal immigrants should not waste their money on a scammer who claims that there is.
