DORAL, FLORIDA — Immigration attorney Angel Leal Jr. of Doral, Florida, is a victim of identity theft. Scammers are using AI to clone his image, name, and voice to deceive immigrants seeking legal status.
The fraud includes fake contracts bearing Leal's firm logo, forged signatures, websites mimicking his site, and fabricated hearings where victims believe they are granted residency or citizenship. "I don't have enough words to describe these subhuman people, because that's what they are. They take advantage of other people's needs, understanding that there is fear in the community, understanding that people are scared," Leal said. "It's all a lie; they've gone to those extremes."
Scammers manipulate Leal's real videos with AI to make false promises regarding U.S. citizenship, work permits, and residency. "When that happens, the person falls for it, and they usually get charged through one of the money transfer platforms," Leal said. Leal closed all institutional and personal WhatsApp channels associated with his firm.
Leal hired a company to identify and report fake profiles. "We've taken down thousands of fake profiles impersonating me or our office," Leal said. The measures cost several thousand dollars. Staff answers calls from scammed individuals. "We have had to put people dedicated exclusively to answering those calls. I could no longer keep answering them all," Leal said.
Adonia Simpson, deputy director of policy and pro bono services at the American Bar Association, said, "There is a lot of fear because of Trump's immigration policies, and that's why many people want to fix their status." She said, "We've seen many uses of technology with artificial intelligence: videos, photos, contracts that can look real. And many people are in a difficult situation, very afraid because they have a family member in detention." Andrea Jacoski, associate director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law, said, "Someone contacted me via WhatsApp and sent me a message asking if I was a lawyer and worked on immigration cases."
More than 1 million identity theft cases were reported in the U.S. last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Losses exceeded $3.5 billion, up nearly 20% from $2.95 billion in 2024. In May, the FBI in Chicago warned about scammers impersonating lawyers and immigration officials. The U.S. immigration court system had 3,318,099 active cases pending at the end of February, with over 2.3 million involving asylum-seekers, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. As of March, 32.8% of immigrants facing deportation orders had lawyers, according to the clearinghouse.