Criminals are posing as representatives of Catholic Charities in order to target and steal money from immigrants in the United States, making off with sometimes tens of thousands of dollars after promising immigration services to desperate migrants.
The scams have appeared in multiple states, with advocates scrambling to protect immigrants from being robbed by thieves posing as Catholic service providers.
Cecilia Baxter, an attorney with Hogar Immigrant Services at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, told EWTN News that the crimes have been running at least as far back as the summer of 2025.
“Scammers are using the name, images, and likeness of Catholic Charities USA — or just the name Catholic Charities in general — to scam immigrants by promising them services and then not following through,” she said.
Baxter noted that immigration law is “super complex” and that those in the country without authorization are “always looking for relief,” specifically legal status.
A lot of people who do have legal status, meanwhile, “are just uncertain about immigration law.”
Oftentimes, she said, the victim will see an advertisement on social media promising services from an immigration attorney who allegedly works for Catholic Charities. Most Catholic charity affiliates offer various immigration-related services, including legal assistance.
“Some [victims] are told they might qualify for a visa, for instance,” Baxter said. “They’ll reach out. They’ll get fake contracts, they’ll send money, and then they never hear back.”
In some cases the stolen money could amount to several hundred dollars. In other cases the amount stolen has run as high as around $20,000, Baxter said.
“These people are desperate,” the attorney said. “They’re reaching out to a lot of sources, such as family, and sometimes digging themselves into deep holes of debt.”
‘I don’t think it’s getting better’
Reports of the scams are not limited to Virginia.
Daniel Altenau, a spokesman for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina, said the diocese is “hearing more and more cases of immigrants falling victim to scams using Catholic Charities logos/materials.”
Consuelo Kwee, the director of immigration services at the Raleigh charity, told EWTN News that the crisis is “nationwide.”
She said she has heard from victims in Missouri, California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and other states. The scams have been active for at least a year, she confirmed.
Kwee said that many of the scams begin on social media sites such as Facebook. “They are using our name, our logo, even the name of one of our staff members and our director,” she said.
“The scammer will reach out via WhatsApp or text; usually WhatsApp,” she said. “They lure in the client by telling them that everything is going to be free. Then they start asking for money, and they’re very persistent.”
Some scammers use both Catholic Charities forms and official government immigration forms to ply the victims, she said.
“We are desperate,” she admitted. “We see people falling for this so much.” She said in one case a man contacted her weeping after having lost $40,000 over the course of a year while trying to bring his family to the United States.
“It’s horrible,” she said. “Horrible.”
Advocates have taken steps to try and head off the scams. Baxter noted that the Arlington Diocese’s Catholic charity has released a flyer warning about the fraud scheme, urging immigrants to avoid providing any information to suspicious contacts online.
The flyer, in both English and Spanish, instructs would-be victims to contact Catholic Charities to report the scam and to inform banks and credit card companies in the event that any financial information was shared. Baxter said victims can also speak to local bar agencies.
Kwee said the Raleigh Diocese has taken similar steps, including a digital alert warning immigrants of the potential for scams.
Baxter admitted that the situation is “really murky.”
“I thought it was getting better,” she said. But the agency has recorded multiple scam reports in recent weeks. “I don’t think it’s getting better. It seems to be just as bad if not worse.”
She said the scammers have become adept at posing as Catholic Charities officials.
“We’ve seen some of the documents that [victims] have received,” she said. “At first glance, if you have an untrained eye, you can see how people fall for it. They’re using the watermarks of Catholic Charities USA. They have the right words.”
“Or they’ll say the consultation is free but the fees for filing must be paid,” she said. “They’re very manipulative.”
Baxter noted that it’s a “scary time” for immigrants in the country illegally. Heavy immigration crackdown by the Trump administration has seen hundreds of thousands of deportations in 2025 and 2026.
The fraught environment means that immigrants in the country illegally are more afraid than usual of going to law enforcement even when they are scammed out of thousands of dollars, she said.
“They’re really afraid,” she said. “They’re really scared.”
