A federal judge has shut down a Baltimore business that allegedly misrepresented that it was authorized to provide immigration services. The judge ordered a halt to the allegedly deceptive tactics of Manuel Alban and his wife Lola Alban, who also operated as Loma International Business Group, Inc..
Under federal regulations, except for attorneys, only authorized providers may accept money in exchange for selecting, preparing, and filing immigration forms on someone else’s behalf. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s complaint, the Albans targeted Spanish speakers from El Salvador and Honduras, charging them fees for consultations to prepare and file immigration forms.
Based on the Albans’ misrepresentations, consumers collectively paid them tens of thousands of dollars. However, the Albans are not authorized to provide immigration services, and more than half the immigration applications they filed were rejected by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to the complaint.
The court immediately halted the defendants’ deceptive business practices, froze their assets, appointed a monitor, and granted immediate access to their business premises. The monitor will ensure that the defendants stop providing unauthorized immigration services, preserve and return immigration documents to consumers, and refer any interested consumers to authorized immigration service providers.
The FTC’s law enforcement action will seek a permanent injunction against the defendants to prevent further deceptive practices, the return of consumers’ original documents and filings, and consumer refunds.
“Scammers often try to take advantage of immigrants by claiming to be affiliated with government immigration agencies, posing as immigration lawyers, or pretending to provide legitimate immigration-related services,” said FTC Commissioner Edith Ramirez in announcing the case along with other federal, state, and local actions. “What’s even more appalling is that they target people who are among the most vulnerable.”
In a separate action in January 2011, the FTC brought
an immigration services case
Against Immigration Center, one of several associated companies
allegedly participating in a large Internet scam in which they
masqueraded as a U.S. government website.
According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants in that case posed as agents of the U.S. government, then tricked consumers around the country into paying fees ranging from $200 to $2,500.
The defendants falsely claimed that these fees would cover processing fees charged by USCIS. The FTC was joined by the Nevada Attorney General, who simultaneously filed a criminal suit against the defendants in the case who were operating in Nevada.
