Misinformation and fear have long been tools exploited by scammers. Now, as millions of undocumented immigrants across the country brace for Donald Trump's mass deportation operation, immigration lawyers and nonprofits are reporting an "alarming" surge in notario fraud—a scheme in which con artists misuse notary public licenses to deceive immigrants into believing they are licensed to practice law, robbing them of their money and placing them in riskier situations.
Notably, the scams disproportionately target non-English-speaking immigrants who cannot afford to hire a private immigration attorney, according to reports shared with the Latin Times.
