This article is general information, not legal advice. Immigration scams usually become obvious once you slow down and verify three things: who is contacting you, whether that person is actually authorized to help, and how they want to be paid.
Outcome and prerequisites
When reviewing a message, service offer, or payment demand, collect:
- the sender address or website;
- the exact payment instruction;
- the full name and claimed role of the person offering help;
- copies of any forms or notices they want you to sign.
Short answer
USCIS says it will contact people only through official government channels and will not contact them through personal social media accounts. USCIS also says official U.S. government email addresses end in .gov.
USCIS further warns that it will not ask you to transfer money to an individual, and it does not accept immigration-fee payments by gift card, Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, or Venmo. On legal help, USCIS says a notario público in the United States is not automatically authorized to give immigration legal advice.
Step-by-step process
1. Verify the channel before you react
Check whether the website ends in .gov and whether the email sender is actually from a government domain. A scary tone, urgent warning, or approval promise does not make the message real.
2. Verify the payment path
USCIS says immigration-fee payments should not be sent to a random person. If someone wants wire transfers, gift cards, peer-to-peer payment apps, or “supporter fees” paid outside official systems, treat that as a major warning sign.
3. Verify the representative
USCIS says only certain categories of representatives may represent people before the agency, such as licensed attorneys, certain foreign attorneys in limited settings, DOJ-accredited representatives, and supervised law students or graduates in permitted roles.
4. Check the DOJ recognition and accreditation roster
If someone says they are an accredited representative, verify that claim on the DOJ roster rather than accepting a business card or social-media page as proof.
5. Keep control of your documents and signatures
USCIS warns people not to sign blank forms and to keep copies of notices, forms, and receipts. A legitimate helper should not resist giving you copies of what was filed in your name.
Costs, timing, and required documents
Costs
USCIS forms are available for free download. Filing fees may be real, but payment method and destination still matter.
What you should always keep
- copies of every form filed for you;
- copies of government notices and receipts;
- proof of payment;
- your own passport and identity documents whenever possible.
Timing
Scammers often use urgency: “pay now,” “we can get you to the U.S. quickly,” or “your case will be denied today.” Urgency is one of the facts to verify, not a reason to skip verification.
Failure cases and alternatives
Confusing a U.S. notary public with an immigration lawyer
USCIS specifically warns that a U.S. notary public is not authorized to provide immigration legal services simply because the word “notario” sounds official in another country.
Paying unofficial supporter or shortcut fees
USCIS has published scam warnings tied to humanitarian processes and says access to those processes is not supposed to depend on paying private “connection” fees.
Trusting social-media accounts or fake approvals
Scammers like informal channels because they feel personal. USCIS explicitly warns that it does not use your personal social-media account as a normal contact channel.
Letting someone control the paper trail
If a helper refuses to give you copies, asks you to sign blank forms, or tells you not to read what is being filed, assume the risk is already serious.
Checklist
- Verify the sender, website, and domain.
- Verify the payment method and destination.
- Verify the attorney license or DOJ accreditation.
- Keep copies of forms, receipts, and notices.
- Do not sign blank forms or surrender original identity documents unnecessarily.
Sources and update date
Primary sources reviewed 2026-08-10: USCIS common-scam guidance, USCIS legal-services guidance, DOJ recognition-and-accreditation guidance, the DOJ roster page, and FTC immigration-scam guidance.