Scammers Use AI to Clone Immigration Attorneys' Identities

Immigration attorneys say they are closing websites and messaging channels after discovering that scammers are using artificial intelligence to clone their faces, voices and professional materials. , who practices in Doral, Florida, stated that fraudsters have posted manipulated videos promising citizenship without exams and immediate work permits.

He said the impersonators create contracts bearing his firm's logo and fabricate immigration hearings that victims believe are real. Leal closed all WhatsApp accounts linked to his office and hired a firm to remove thousands of fake profiles. Staff members now spend time fielding calls from people who paid the impostors.

Jacoski, associate director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law, said three individuals contacted her in one week after receiving fake University of Miami identification cards and business cards listing her Florida Bar number.

One client in Colorado missed a court hearing after paying $500 for a promised new hearing date. Jacoski notified the Florida and Minnesota bar associations, the Federal Trade Commission and the American Bar Association. She said she is concerned that fraudulent applications may have been filed using her bar number in multiple states.

Adonia Simpson, deputy director of policy and pro bono services at the American Bar Association, reported that the organization received calls from people inquiring about case statuses after scammers issued contracts bearing the ABA logo. The contracts requested payment via Zelle, WhatsApp or wire transfer for services the ABA does not provide.

The Federal Trade Commission reported that more than 1 million identity-theft complaints were filed in 2025, resulting in losses exceeding $3.5 billion, an increase of nearly 20 percent from 2024. The FBI's Chicago office issued a public warning in May about impersonation of lawyers and immigration officials.