Avoiding immigration scams in the United States: notarios, fake forms, the DV lottery and where to report

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

To avoid immigration scams in the United States, remember four rules, all published by the US administration. Only a lawyer licensed by a state bar, or a representative accredited by the Department of Justice (DOJ), can advise you. Official forms are free. An official website always ends in .gov. Entering the green card lottery (DV) is free and is done only at dvprogram.state.gov. If you are a victim, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov: USCIS states that reporting a scam will not affect your application.

This article relies only on official sources: USCIS (the federal immigration agency), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC, consumer protection) and EOIR (the office of the immigration courts, part of the Department of Justice). It is part of our series on organisations helping foreigners in Europe and the Americas.

The most common scams, in one table

The rules that protect you

Who can advise you. USCIS lists the people allowed to represent you: a lawyer in good standing with the bar of a state, territory or DC; an accredited representative working for a DOJ-recognized organization; law students or graduates supervised by one of them. Others may not represent you or give you legal advice. They may only help you fill in a form, for a nominal fee, according to your state's rules.

You do not need a representative. USCIS points out that you can fill in your forms yourself. Its online tools, including « Explore My Options », help you identify the procedure that fits your situation.

Forms are free. The FTC is clear: don't pay for immigration forms. If a website makes you pay to download an official form, you are not on a legitimate website. EOIR confirms this for its own forms and those of USCIS: all are free on the official websites.

Fees are paid through official channels. USCIS lists any request to pay fees other than through your myUSCIS account as a warning sign.

The notario and fake consultants

In many countries in Africa, Europe or Latin America, a notary is a lawyer. Scammers exploit this confusion. USCIS is clear: in the United States, a « notary public » is not a lawyer and cannot represent you, including in immigration matters. The FTC adds accountants and « consultants » to the list of people not to trust with an immigration case.

Three FTC instructions to follow no matter what:

• never sign a blank form, or a form containing false information about you;
• don't let anyone, notario or not, keep your original documents;
• never pay for help with a gift card, money transfer, payment app or cryptocurrency.

EOIR puts « travel agents » who present themselves as immigration specialists in the same category: they are not allowed to represent you before an immigration court.

Fake forms and fake websites

Fake websites copy the government's colours and vocabulary. The simplest test comes from the FTC: a federal government website address ends in .gov. A site that does not end that way is not a federal website: it may charge for what is free, or steal your personal information.

USCIS also warns about emails that imitate the agency: unknown sender, typos, an address that does not end in .gov, an attachment to open. Forward such emails to the USCIS webmaster, who does not answer immigration questions but handles reports.

The green card lottery (DV): free, and on one website only

The Diversity Visa programme, the « green card lottery », attracts scammers every year. What the FTC says:

• entering is free;
• you can only enter once a year, only at dvprogram.state.gov, and only if you are from an eligible country and meet the education or work experience requirements;
• winners are chosen at random: nobody can increase your chances;
• results can be checked only at dvprogram.state.gov.

A message announcing that you have won and asking you to pay to « confirm » is therefore a scam. The dates of each edition and news about the programme are published by the State Department on its own websites (state.gov): check them there, not on social media.

When someone calls « on behalf of » the government

EOIR reports calls from people posing as its employees and asking people in proceedings for personal information. Its answer is simple: its employees never call to ask for personal information or money. USCIS also lists offers to speed up a case for money and promises of quick results among the warning signs.

When the scammer has a title: frauds identified by EOIR

Not all fraud comes from strangers. EOIR's anti-fraud programme describes practices by professionals or fake professionals:

• the « 10-year green card »: you are asked to sign what is presented as a work permit application, which is actually the signature page of an asylum application filed without your knowledge; if you then miss the interview, you may end up in removal proceedings;
• pocketed fee waivers: the practitioner collects the filing fee, then files a fee waiver without your consent and keeps the money;
• selling forms: yet all EOIR and USCIS forms are free.

Keep a copy of everything filed in your name, and ask for each page to be explained to you before you sign it.

Checking a lawyer or an accredited representative

A lawyer. USCIS advises asking to see their current licence and checking it with the body that licenses lawyers in their state (the state bar). EOIR also publishes the list of currently disciplined practitioners (suspended or disbarred) before the immigration courts; it was updated on 2 November 2026.

An accredited representative. They must appear, with their organisation, in the rosters of recognized organizations and accredited representatives published by EOIR (by organisation, by representative and by state).

Free or low-cost help. The FTC and USCIS refer to EOIR's List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers, organised by immigration court and updated every quarter. Organisations that help for free are presented in our guide to organisations helping immigrants in the United States.

Where to report a scam

You can share as much or as little information as you like, and your lawyer can file the report for you, the FTC specifies. USCIS states that reporting a scam will not affect your application. For a question about your own case, the USCIS Contact Center answers on 800-375-5283.

What Compatri can do for you

Scammers mainly target isolated newcomers who do not yet know whom to trust. In your community on Compatri (communities in the United States), compatriots who settled before you can tell you which « office » has already made victims and which organisation really helped them. Our article on mutual help between compatriots explains how to ask for and return help. If you have been deceived, warning others is the best service you can do them, after the official report.

Students will find the traps specific to scholarships in our article on scholarship scams, and those weighing up Canada can read our guide to organisations helping immigrants in Canada, where the same rules of caution apply.

Compatri is not linked to any of the administrations or organisations mentioned, and does not give legal advice: we point you to official sources.

Sources

• USCIS: Avoid Scams
• USCIS: find legal services
• USCIS: report immigration scams
• FTC: how to avoid immigration scams and get real help
• FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• EOIR: Fraud and Abuse Prevention Program
• EOIR: List of Currently Disciplined Practitioners
• EOIR: Recognition & Accreditation Roster Reports
• EOIR: List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers