Immigration Services Fraud

Immigration fraud is an issue of national importance affecting large segments of communities. Immigration fraud is generally defined as individuals and companies who target vulnerable immigrants by providing unauthorized and fraudulent immigration services.

As part of the Attorney General's initiative to combat immigration fraud, the Civil Rights Bureau is investigating individuals and companies who target immigrant communities with false promises of residency and citizenship or provide services without having the legal authority to do so. The Civil Rights Bureau recently entered into agreements with several individuals and entities and filed complaints against others in New York State. The agreements permanently bar the individuals from operating immigration-related businesses and requires they collectively pay $118,000 in monetary relief. The lawsuits filed in NYS Supreme Court allege the companies were not authorized nor accredited to provide immigration legal services. Further, the Civil Rights Bureau filed suit against a Queens county woman for defrauding hundreds of immigrants out of more than $250,000 and has demanded documents and testimony from more than 80 organizations and individuals who purportedly provide immigration services.