New Initiative To Protect Immigrants From Fraud

At the 17th annual New York State Senate/Assembly Puerto Rican/His-panic Task Force Conference (Somos El Futuro) in Albany, Governor Pataki unveiled a new initiative to help protect immigrants from scam artist posing as immigration consultants.

The new program — which is a joint initiative between the New York State Consumer Protection Board and the Governor’s Citizenship Unit — is an educational campaign designed to raise awareness among immigrant communities about scam artists who prey on immigrants trying to obtain citizenship.

"This new educational program will help immigrants avoid becoming victims and educate them on how to spot fraudulent immigration consultants and avoid these costly scams," Governor Pataki said. "Dishonest im-migration consultants, who make false promises and provide little help, can end up costing immigrants a lot of money and even cause serious harm to their immigration status. Immigrants can also face deportation from the United States as a result of dealing with a fraudulent consultant."

The Consumer Protection Board and the Citizenship Unit have received numerous complaints regarding immi-gration consultant fraud and in some cases victims have lost up to $20,000. The scams also seem to be concentrated in Queens, Yonkers and Long Island.

To reach as many immigrants as possible under the new program, the two state offices will team up with community-based organizations, such as the Hispanic Federation.

"The CPB and the Governor’s Citizenship Unit have developed a brochure entitled: "Immigration Con-sultant Fraud" to help people identify common scams and to provide helpful tips to immigrants when they are search-ing for information and guidance. The brochure is currently in English and Spanish and the Citizenship Unit is also translating the brochure into other languages including Chinese, French, Russian, Albanian, Creole and Polish.

Last October, Pataki announced the allocation of $2.5 million in grant money for non-profits working on immigration issues. State funding the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York created an "Immigrant hotline" (1-800-566-7636), which answers questions and helps immigrants find appropriate legal services.

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