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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Anonymous Member of La Colmena on Immigration Services Fraud
2:24:44
ยท
4 min
An anonymous member of La Colmena shared their personal experience of being defrauded by someone posing as an immigration attorney. The victim paid over $1,500 for a falsified asylum application and was tricked into participating in a fake virtual court hearing where they were asked to pay additional fees.
- The fraudster was found on Facebook and communicated via WhatsApp
- Law school students helped uncover the fraud by identifying irregularities in the process
- The victim is now working with a legitimate attorney from the Legal Aid Society
- The testimony emphasizes the need for better information and protection for immigrants against such fraudulent practices
UNKNOWN
2:24:44
Good afternoon.
2:24:45
My name is Christian.
2:24:46
I am not using my last name to protect my identity.
2:24:56
I'm here to talk about how I was defrauded by someone who said she was my attorney.
2:25:10
After I came to The US and New York City, I was desperate to find someone to help me file for asylum.
Jorge Paz Reyes
2:25:15
And
UNKNOWN
2:25:20
I found someone on Facebook who said she was an attorney.
2:25:28
She we talked on in WhatsApp and she said she could help me.
2:25:40
She later sent me the instructions on how to transfer money.
2:25:47
And I paid her a total of a thousand $570.
2:25:58
She sent me a copy of my asylum application and said that it had been submitted.
2:26:08
And she later asked me to appear on a video call for an immigration court hearing.
2:26:16
I remember she asked me to dress formally.
2:26:21
I appeared at the hearing by Google Meets.
2:26:31
My my attorney appeared virtually, and I remember the judge wearing a black robe.
2:26:37
And she okay.
2:26:38
Continue.
2:26:46
And, the judge who spoke Spanish to me asked me, told me that I had eight days to pay a little over $5,000.
2:26:59
And that I did If I didn't pay at that time, I would owe $25,000.
2:27:09
The judge told me that I should work with my attorney in order to pay this.
2:27:25
This was the first time I was working with an attorney so I had no idea this was unusual.
2:27:53
This I only learned because I was working with law school students who sat with me during the hearing and then informed me that the immigration court judge should not have been charging me any money and that my attorney was probably tricking me into paying this money.
2:28:15
They also told me the asylum application and the receipt notice looked fake.
2:28:19
So, I had no idea because I can't read in English.
2:28:29
I got scared when the students told me I had been defrauded.
2:28:37
I'm not even sure if this attorney was a real attorney.
2:28:47
This is wrong and there should be information given to immigrants to be able to protect ourselves against fraud.
2:28:59
And thankfully, I'm now working with an attorney at the Legal Aid Society.
2:29:07
Other immigrants are being defrauded like me.
2:29:20
And in this time, immigrants are just afraid of saying anything about their rights or how they should be treated fairly in this country.
2:29:29
Thank you for letting me speak.