Scammers are looking to cash in on the growing fear over President Donald Trump’s immigration and deportation plans. Damian Trujillo reports.
Scammers are looking to cash in on the growing fear over President Donald Trump's immigration and deportation plans.
Many scams center around threats of deportation or promises to speed up the citizenship process.
Immigration attorneys say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will never tip its hand when it comes to enforcement activity. Attorneys are warning people to stay alert and be mindful of those making false threats and promises.
Esther Miranda Flores, who has run a successful hair salon on Story Road in San Jose for 15 years, still remembers the time when a man scammed her out of $7,000, falsely promising to help with her immigration paperwork. She said she never saw the money again.
"Whenever there’s a vulnerable population, they’re targeted by people trying to do scams," immigration attorney Andrew Newcomb said.
Newcomb said he's hearing about scams from victims every week. The latest is a warning from police agencies about scammers pretending to be ICE agents on the phone. They ask for personal information and demand money.
"They’re even able to mess with the caller ID to make it seem like it's an official ICE number," Newcomb said.
Newcomb pointed out the website from the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking warning people about impostor ICE agents. Newcomb said warning people and calling people is not ICE's mode of operating.
"What they don’t do is try to reach out to their targets directly via the phone or any other means," Newcomb said.
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Newcomb also warns people to be weary of unscrupulous lawyers, saying a good place to start when checking on a lawyer is a quick Google search on the State Bar of California website.
San Jose police reiterate that they do not cooperate with ICE, but the department worries some victims might now be too afraid to report scams.
"If you are a victim of a crime, any type of crime, especially financial crime, do not hesitate to call 911 and reach out to the San Jose Police Department," police spokesperson Stacie Shih said.
That’s a message Flores echoes. She said she shares her story with all of her clients so they won’t fall victim themselves.
