Artificial intelligence bots impersonating immigration lawyers are becoming more common on social media, aiming to deceive immigrants and their families into paying significant sums of money. Nearly a year after the American Bar Association (ABA) warned immigrants in the U.S. about these fraudulent activities, anecdotal evidence suggests an increase in reported incidents.
On August 26, 2025, the ABA issued a formal notice regarding a notable rise in individuals falsely claiming to be immigration attorneys, often alleging connections to reputable legal organizations or government officials.
A family of a woman detained at the Adelanto detention center in California reported to a local news outlet that they were misled by what they believed was a legitimate immigration lawyer on Facebook. They later discovered that the lawyer was an AI-generated avatar that had taken thousands of dollars from them, including a $4,355 bond that was never filed with the court.
Angel Leal, an immigration lawyer in South Florida, has also been targeted by scams involving fake videos of him on social media, leading to over 6,000 instances of impersonation online. Leal expressed concern about the impact of these scams on vulnerable populations.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association's Charity Anastasio noted that these scams are increasingly prevalent, with impersonators using inexpensive technology to create fake websites and advertisements. The ABA highlighted that the repercussions of these scams extend beyond financial loss, potentially jeopardizing victims' immigration cases, such as visa or asylum applications.
In response to the rise in online scams, some states have enacted laws to prosecute individuals practicing immigration law without authorization, although penalties are generally limited to misdemeanor charges and small fines.