Illegal Immigrants Have Recourse When Scammed

Ferrugia File: Empty Promises, Part II

Immigration Naturalization Service agent Paul Torres was clearly concerned as he watched the tape of John Ferrugia talking to victims of alleged fraud. On Monday's report, Ferrugia uncovered a scam that baited hard-working immigrants, promising them legal naturalization documents for thousands of dollars. Ferrugai said that the scam was allegedly headed by Richard Duran. Investment Scam

What can victims of the immigrant scam do?

Want to find a reputable immigration lawyer near you? Click here. "I see someone taking advantage of less fortunate members of the community and exploiting them for their own personal profit," Torres told Ferrugia. "What I see here is clearly fraud." Duran would not talk with 7NEWS, but federal investigators said that he might have violated both federal and state laws and they are examining both. "We look at the potential fraud -- basically stealing of the money from his clients -- and we can work with local law enforcement agencies and document some of their witnesses," Torres said. Potential witnesses include one family who gave Duran more than $2,000 to help them obtain work permits and permanent residency. The Burmudez family told 7NEWS that in return, Duran did nothing. When they tried to get their money back, they were threatened, Ferrugia reported. "(He) threatened us with INS and said he would take away our baby," Wendy Burmudez said. "It's at best misleading and at worst, just outright theft," Laura Lichter said. She is the state president of the Immigration Lawyers Association and warned viewers that paying an unlicensed consultant can be costly in the long run. "The best thing to look for is to find an atttorney that specializes in this area. There are other agencies, such as Catholic Immigration Services, that can provide some low-fee, or no-fee consultations, but they are swamped," Lichter said. But what if an illegal immigrant goes to the INS to complain about fraud? Do they risk being deported? "We will not further exploit the victim of the crime. What we will do is to provide them with temporary benefits during the duration of the investigation and subsequent trial," Torres said. But the best advice from those who know the complications of immigration law is simple: be careful. "If someone promises something, they are probably not telling the truth. We can't guarantee anything," Lichter said. Additional Resources: