Thousands of Colombians dream of building their future in the United Statesa country that they see as a land of opportunities to achieve their goals. However, this desire can turn into a nightmare if they become victims of scammers who take advantage of their ignorance of immigration procedures. Below are some tips so you can be warned and not fall into deception.
According to the official website of the United States General Services Administration (GSA), this type of crime that seeking to obtain money fraudulently can also put their immigration process at riskgenerating legal and emotional problems for those seeking to start a new life away from home.
For this reason, it is important to become aware and learn to identify these scams, and know where to file the corresponding report.
(Further: The jobs that would give you permanent residence in the United States)
Immigration Scam
Source: IStock
Below is a series of tips and recommendations that you can follow to avoid falling into scams related to immigration procedures:
– Find out about immigration procedures on the official websites of the United States Governmentfor example the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), or the Department of State.
– Keep copies of the documents you deliver and from letters you receive from the US Government.
– Keep receipts provided by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
– Consult with an immigration lawyer to help you with your procedures. You can also ask for help from Government-accredited representatives.
– Do not hire notaries to resolve your immigration matterson. In the US, a notary only verifies that the signing of certain documents is legal, but they are not lawyers nor are they certified to give advice.
To learn more about scams related to immigration procedures and tips to recognize them, you can Visit the Federal Trade Commission website (FTC).
Where to report immigration processing scams
If you detect a scam or fraud, you should report it to the FTC through the following means:
– Call 1-877-382-4357 (press 2 for Spanish), or 1-866-653-4261 (TTY, for the hearing impaired).
– File a complaint at the following link: https://reportefraude.ftc.gov/.
(Read: If they send you this message it means that they want to steal your data on WhatsApp).
