Immigration attorney Denise Cabrera sounded the alarm among immigrants to avoid being victims of people who pose as legal advocates and end up taking their money and putting them at risk of deportation.

She experienced identity theft firsthand when she discovered that her name and law license were being used to scam undocumented immigrants.

“We realized they were using my name when some of the scammed people started calling our office to check on their cases, and we didn’t have them on file as clients,” said attorney Cabrera, whose offices are located in Santa Ana.

When they asked the people from what phone number they had been called, the attorney’s office told them that the number did not belong to them.

“They called claiming they had paid us, and we had never done anything. This made me feel angry because they are taking advantage of immigrants who are more vulnerable now than ever.”

She said that these types of scams occur through Facebook, where scammers create a profile with stolen photos of the immigration attorney as it happened in her case, and when people contact, they start messaging each other on WhatsApp.

What's more, her name and photo appeared on a WhatsApp account giving advice and payment instructions to her potential clients.

She was in for a tremendous surprise when she discovered that it wasn't one or two, but several people in different parts of the United States who had been victims of money theft with the false promise of legal representation, using her name and image.

A testimony

A Salvadoran immigrant who lives in Massachusetts, on the west coast of the United States, and who asked not to be identified due to his lack of immigration status, said that he learned about attorney Denise Cabrera on social media.

“I noticed that she was highly recommended. So I contacted her through the ad on Facebook; they responded immediately and asked me to communicate via WhatsApp,and then they made a video call to me.”

He said that the woman who helped him via WhatsApp introduced herself as attorney Denise Cabrera, and was very professional and knowledgeable about immigration issues.

“She even gave me the license number that corresponded to attorney Denise Cabrera’s. That’s why I trusted her, although it did catch my attention that it looked much larger than the one in the photo. I thought maybe it was because it was a photograph from several years ago.”

Over a period of two months, he sent a total of $2,500 to the supposed attorney Cabrera in different payments for different motions and a pardon.

“I made the payments through Zelle, and they always asked me to notify them by email when I paid. Something that made me curious was that each payment had a different email address, and they always told me they were from USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services).”

Regarding their fees, they told her that they would charge her those when the case was resolved.

“Things started to smell fishy to me when they told me that my pardon was ready, and I felt strange because I knew that it took time.”

It was at that moment that she looked for the phone number of the lawyer Denise Cabrera, and decided to call her office instead of communicating through WhatsApp. During that call, she learned that she had been a victim of fraud.

“I remembered that the fake lawyer had offered me an in-person consultation, and even gave me the address of her office, but I rejected that option because she would charge me $250 while online it was free; and since one is always trying to save money, I preferred everything to be virtual.”

Faced with the deception, the Salvadoran said he opted for an excuse not to continue the case with the supposed lawyer who impersonated Denise Cabrera and defrauded him.

“I made up a story that I would return to El Salvador in two months. She tried to convince me that it was not the best option, and that I should keep fighting. I asked her if I could continue my case from El Salvador, she said yes, but clarified that it would have another cost.”

This is how the story of the fraud against this Salvadoran immigrant ended.

“The reason I didn’t confront her was because she knew everything about me. She had a copy of my driver's license, my home address, and the truth is I was afraid of retaliation, especially because I have a daughter."

The only details he was able to obtain from the fake lawyer are that she is Colombian and between 45 and 50 years old.

After the unfortunate experience, he said he feels terrible because he trusted who he believed was lawyer Denise Cabrera to help him come out of the shadows and obtain immigration status in the United States.

“I lost money and my hope; and fear prevented me from reporting my scammer.”

What to do

Attorney Cabrera recommended that immigrants who cannot attend a legal consultation in person should go to the California State Bar’s website to see its website, phone number, and email address.

“Verify that the information they give you matches that of the State Bar. Real lawyers don’t have Gmail, Yahoo, or other common email addresses.”

She pointed out that she has a warning on her website about how to avoid scams.

“These scammers are even impersonating USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security, since when making a payment, they send fake emails with PDF letters using the USCIS name and logo in which they inform us that they are processing the cases.”

He added that using the image of these federal agencies carries with it federal charges against those responsible, and should be investigated by the FBI.

“My recommendation is that they report it, and if they are afraid of going to the police in person, report the scam by phone.”

He explained that when they spoke to the Police Department, they were told that the report had to be made by the scammed victim.

“We lawyers are not direct victims. We made them understand that the victims are undocumented immigrants and they are afraid to report it.”

Unfortunately, Cabrera is not the only immigration attorney who has had her identity stolen. There are several other lawyers who have suffered the same fate.

Attorney Cabrera advised people to do their research before sending money and to make sure it is a real law office.

What's at stake

The people defrauded by those who impersonated her lost an average of between $4,000 and $6,000 each.

In his possession, he has a file of evidence such as bank transfers, audio recordings and screenshots of WhatsApp accounts in his name and phone number, at least two of which are from Canadian area codes.

“I hope that by publishing my case, people desperate to fix their immigration status will be more careful and avoid falling victim to scammers impersonating lawyers, because this not only represents a loss of money but can also mean that they will receive deportation orders by missing important appointments in their immigration adjustment processes.”