Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning consumers of a scammer calling consumers offering a free Rosetta Stone English program, claiming all you have to do is pay the shipping.

A consumer was offered the “free Rosetta Stone English program” and agreed to pay the shipping charges. The caller was supposed to get back to the consumer to collect the shipping charges but never got that call. The call the consumer did get was from someone identifying themselves as an agent with US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The caller demanded that the consumer pay $800 for the Rosetta Stone program or they would be arrested and deported by an immigration officer.

BBB called the number, 909-939-4126 and spoke to the scammer, who was posing an immigration officer. As soon as he found out the BBB was calling, he hung up. We called the number again and there was a recording saying US Citizenship and Immigration Services, press one for English and two for Spanish. We pressed one, the phone was answered by a man saying “Justice Department, FBI, how can I help you?” When we started asking questions, he hung up.

This man is not working for the Justice Department, the FBI or the Citizenship and Immigration Services. He is using scare tactics to get people to pay $800 for the Rosetta Stone program.

Immigrants can be particularly vulnerable to these type of scams. There are language barriers, separation of family and friends, lack of understanding of US laws, fear of deportation, fear of law enforcement and cultural differences.

If you are interested in purchasing Rosetta Stone, go directly to the company, your local bookstore or your local computer software company. You can also check with your local library to see if they may have a copy you can check out.

Remember if it sound too good to be true, it probably is. If you have to pay anything at all, it’s NOT FREE. And never let anyone pressure you into giving them money for something that you think is not legitimate. If you or anyone you know has received a similar call, contact your local BBB and your local police department to report them.

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning consumers to beware of websites and businesses claiming to provide assistance with immigration services. BBB recently became aware of an increase in operations claiming to provide passport, citizenship and immigration services, in particular the website www.usaimmigrationsupport.com.

In July alone, BBB received 32 complaints filed by consumers which eclipses all other months this year. BBB has a total of 46 complaints since January 2011 when consumers began contacting the BBB in earnest with their concerns. In 24 of those complaints, consumers allege US Immigration Organization, the business that operates the website www.usaimmigrationsupport.com, misrepresented itself as a government entity.

“Immigrants who may speak little to no English can easily fall prey to unscrupulous businesses” said Kim States, BBB President. “Businesses are willing to take advantage of anything from a language barrier to someone who is short on time, and scam innocent people out of their money.”

“Consumers have spent anywhere from $75 to hundreds of dollars on these services, thinking they were receiving official assistance with their passport, visa, and naturalization applications”, States noted. “In (more…)

A rapidly growing area of fraud in the U.S. involves taking advantage of those needing help with immigration processes. The U.S. Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and the Federal Trade Commission recently announced their initiative to fight immigration services scams.

The common thread in this type of fraud involves the unauthorized practice of immigration law. In 2009, Better Business Bureau received several calls from Spanish-speaking consumers inquiring about a Colorado Springs-based company called Immigration Center, amongst many other names, which seemed to be operating in such a manner. The company was shut down in January, 2011 by a federal judge at the request of the FTC.

According to the FTC, the defendants representing the company were charged with violating federal law by misrepresenting:

• That they were authorized to provide immigration and naturalization services.
• That they were affiliated with the U.S. government.
• That the fees paid by consumers would cover all the costs associated with submitting immigration documents to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

“Communities of non-English speaking people are always at a higher risk for being targets of scams,” said Kim States, BBB President. “Victims of immigration service’s scams face a huge loss of time and money (more…)