Taking
advantage
of
people
asking
for
help
with
immigration
issues
is
low.
Unfortunately,
that
isn’t
enough
to
stop
people
from
posing
as
immigration
attorneys
to
take
advantage
of
those
in
need.
The
ABA
has
taken
note
and
sent
out
a
warning
to
the
public
that
fraudsters
may
be
among
the
people
calling
themselves
immigration
attorneys.
From
the
American
Bar
Association:
The
increase
in
fraud
cases
is
attributed
to
rising
enforcement
actions,
and
bad
actors
are
seeking
to
take
advantage
of
immigrant
communities
desperately
seeking
legal
assistance.
The
use
of
more
sophisticated
technology
also
has
contributed
to
the
growing
number
of
fraud
cases,
particularly
among
noncitizens.
…
Fraudsters
are
using
ABA
branding
and
office
addresses
to
trade
on
the
ABA’s
reputation,
often
charging
thousands
of
dollars
for
services
that
are
never
provided,
said
Adonia
R.
Simpson,
deputy
director
for
policy
and
pro
bono
for
the
ABA
Commission
on
Immigration.
Given
the
challenges
in
determining
whether
a
person
is
competent
at
their
job
or
just
making
their
best
out
of
an
opportunity
to
grift
without
actual
authority
(looking
at
you
Alina
Habba),
the
ABA
offered
some
guidelines
to
suss
out
if
the
immigration
attorney
you’re
in
communication
with
sees
you
as
a
future
client
or
an
easy
lick.
They
include
scrutinizing
communication
methods
(your
immigration
lawyer
shouldn’t
be
reaching
out
to
you
through
Whatsapp
or
Messenger),
meeting
with
the
lawyer
in
person
and
asking
to
see
proof
that
they
are
actually
licensed
to
practice.
Getting
legal
help
is
scary
enough
without
the
threat
of
being
sent
to
Uganda
looming
over
your
head.
And
while
it
is
understandable
to
feel
lost
in
the
sea
of
legalese
that
your
(hopefully
real)
potential
attorney
is
saying
to
you,
do
your
best
to
stay
focused
on
what’s
being
said
and
your
surroundings
—
you
are
not
required
to
leave
your
street
smarts
at
the
entrance
to
an
attorney’s
office.
There
are
signs
to
look
for
if
you
think
the
person
claiming
to
represent
you
is
a
scammer
in
disguise:
If
this
information
comes
a
bit
too
late
and
you’ve
been
scammed
by
a
fraudster
posing
as
an
attorney,
your
best
bet
may
be
to
contact
your
state
Attorney
General’s
office.
American
Bar
Association
Issues
Alert
Regarding
Fraudulent
Immigration
Law
Practices
[American
Bar]
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
is
learning
to
swim, is
interested
in
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.