By American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) recently documented more than a dozen reports nationwide of individuals fraudulently posing as immigration attorneys who work for the ABA.
The documented cases follow the ABA’s August alert to the public about an increase in the number of individuals impersonating ABA and U.S.-based attorneys to offer fake immigration legal services.
The scams typically involve the unauthorized use of the ABA name, logo or the term “American Bar Association” in email addresses, domain names and fraudulent contracts. The scammers also have provided fake immigration documents and fake bar licenses.
The number of cases identified by the ABA likely represents only a subset of incidents where potential victims have contacted the ABA directly for confirmation or assistance.?Several reports have contained identifiers with the same email addresses and bank accounts, suggesting that one or more organized groups may be behind these impersonation schemes.
If victimized, immigrants may be able to contact their local law enforcement, state attorney general’s office, consumer protection agencies or state attorney licensing entity.??The ABA has notified appropriate authorities of the impersonation activity and continues to share information to help protect the public.
The ABA provides the following advice for citizens and noncitizens seeking legal assistance:
• Reputable legal services organizations will not directly contact you to solicit business through social media or WhatsApp.
• The ABA generally does not charge for legal services, and no fees will be paid through mobile payment platforms. Some nonprofit legal services organizations may charge nominal fees but generally will not seek payment through mobile applications like Zelle, Cash App or Venmo.
• You can seek reputable legal assistance through the?Immigration Advocates Network?(www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory) and the?American Immigration Lawyers Association (www.ailalawyer.com).
To help protect the public from these scams, the ABA urges individuals to follow these steps when seeking legal assistance:
• Meet with an attorney in their office, if possible.
• Ask to see proof of licensure and check the state’s licensing authority to confirm that the person is a licensed attorney in good standing.
• Thoroughly review the contract and understand what services you are receiving and keep a copy of any agreements.?
• Always get receipts for payments.
• Try to get a second opinion, when possible, especially if the options sound too good to be true.
• Review any applications or forms submitted before signing and get copies for your records.
• Always keep your original documents.
The ABA has seen multiple cases of scammers using the names and bar license numbers of legitimate, licensed attorneys.?The attorney’s name and bar license number are used in the fake attorney-client agreement with fake ABA letterhead and fake ABA email addresses. ?
The increase in fraud cases is attributed to rising enforcement actions and bad actors seeking to take advantage of immigrant communities seeking legal assistance. The use of more sophisticated technology also has contributed to the growing number of fraud cases, particularly among noncitizens.
With improvements in technology, the scams may be more difficult to discern as false. 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.
These actions cause irreparable damage to immigration cases, drain immigrants’ limited financial resources and leave victims vulnerable to detention or removal. Victims of immigration services fraud face real and irreversible consequences.
Although states and localities cannot enforce federal immigration law, many states have enacted laws aimed at targeting unauthorized practice of immigration law or have applied existing unauthorized practice of law statutes to immigration law practice. These laws generally impose minor penalties, including small fines, civil penalties and misdemeanor charges. Few statutes impose serious penalties.?
For additional immigration resources, visit the?ABA Commission on Immigration?at www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/immigration.
(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/11/new-fraud-reports-impacting-immigration-clients/)
The American Bar Association (ABA) recently documented more than a dozen reports nationwide of individuals fraudulently posing as immigration attorneys who work for the ABA.
The documented cases follow the ABA’s August alert to the public about an increase in the number of individuals impersonating ABA and U.S.-based attorneys to offer fake immigration legal services.
The scams typically involve the unauthorized use of the ABA name, logo or the term “American Bar Association” in email addresses, domain names and fraudulent contracts. The scammers also have provided fake immigration documents and fake bar licenses.
The number of cases identified by the ABA likely represents only a subset of incidents where potential victims have contacted the ABA directly for confirmation or assistance.?Several reports have contained identifiers with the same email addresses and bank accounts, suggesting that one or more organized groups may be behind these impersonation schemes.
If victimized, immigrants may be able to contact their local law enforcement, state attorney general’s office, consumer protection agencies or state attorney licensing entity.??The ABA has notified appropriate authorities of the impersonation activity and continues to share information to help protect the public.
The ABA provides the following advice for citizens and noncitizens seeking legal assistance:
• Reputable legal services organizations will not directly contact you to solicit business through social media or WhatsApp.
• The ABA generally does not charge for legal services, and no fees will be paid through mobile payment platforms. Some nonprofit legal services organizations may charge nominal fees but generally will not seek payment through mobile applications like Zelle, Cash App or Venmo.
• You can seek reputable legal assistance through the?Immigration Advocates Network?(www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory) and the?American Immigration Lawyers Association (www.ailalawyer.com).
To help protect the public from these scams, the ABA urges individuals to follow these steps when seeking legal assistance:
• Meet with an attorney in their office, if possible.
• Ask to see proof of licensure and check the state’s licensing authority to confirm that the person is a licensed attorney in good standing.
• Thoroughly review the contract and understand what services you are receiving and keep a copy of any agreements.?
• Always get receipts for payments.
• Try to get a second opinion, when possible, especially if the options sound too good to be true.
• Review any applications or forms submitted before signing and get copies for your records.
• Always keep your original documents.
The ABA has seen multiple cases of scammers using the names and bar license numbers of legitimate, licensed attorneys.?The attorney’s name and bar license number are used in the fake attorney-client agreement with fake ABA letterhead and fake ABA email addresses. ?
The increase in fraud cases is attributed to rising enforcement actions and bad actors seeking to take advantage of immigrant communities seeking legal assistance. The use of more sophisticated technology also has contributed to the growing number of fraud cases, particularly among noncitizens.
With improvements in technology, the scams may be more difficult to discern as false. 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.
These actions cause irreparable damage to immigration cases, drain immigrants’ limited financial resources and leave victims vulnerable to detention or removal. Victims of immigration services fraud face real and irreversible consequences.
Although states and localities cannot enforce federal immigration law, many states have enacted laws aimed at targeting unauthorized practice of immigration law or have applied existing unauthorized practice of law statutes to immigration law practice. These laws generally impose minor penalties, including small fines, civil penalties and misdemeanor charges. Few statutes impose serious penalties.?
For additional immigration resources, visit the?ABA Commission on Immigration?at www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/immigration.
(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/11/new-fraud-reports-impacting-immigration-clients/)
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