"Many scammers are unfortunately tailoring their schemes to exploit Latinos working to acquire legal status, preying on often-complicated immigration processes and pathways for accessing traditional banking, stable housing, health insurance, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) deadlines and full-time employment. In this second installment, the DDIA examined more than 18,400 unique suspicious messages that were shared in 3,300 public Spanish-speaking groups on the instant messaging platform between January 1 and September 1, 2025."
"According to the DDIA, scammers first fuel fear and urgency by spreading alarmist information about unverified immigration raids or inventing requirements or deadlines that appear official; when anxiety reaches its peak, they move on to offering hope and solutions."
"Some criminals pose as consultants or specialists offering shortcuts to obtain residency, work permits, asylum, and even U.S. citizenship."
Digital scammers target Latinos on WhatsApp by exploiting hopes for legal immigration status and fears about enforcement. Scammers pose as consultants offering shortcuts to residency, work permits, asylum, and U.S. citizenship, with many schemes aimed at Venezuelan migrants. Scammers spread alarmist, unverified claims about raids and invent fake requirements or deadlines to create urgency, then offer paid solutions. More than 18,400 suspicious messages circulated in 3,300 Spanish-speaking WhatsApp groups between January 1 and September 1, 2025, with many messages forwarded multiple times. Schemes exploit barriers to banking, housing, health insurance, TPS deadlines, and employment.
Read at english.elpais.com
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