Scammers target families of earthquake survivors

This post comes from Lisa Wade McCormick at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.

A new scam is targeting Haitian-Americans who are trying to bring their relatives from the earthquake-ravaged country to the United States, authorities say.

Haitian-Americans contacted in the scheme are offered documents they supposedly need to bypass the official government process to bring family members from the devastated island to America, according to the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Victims of the scheme, who are reportedly handed fliers or reached by phone, are told to wire $500 in exchange for the documents and a confirmation number that will allegedly allow them to fly to Haiti and bring five relatives home.

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But the promised documents and flight are phony, according to the Haitian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Greater Washington Haiti Relief Committee. They said this scam is simply a new twist to the old advance-fee scheme.

Haitian-Americans who want to bring their relatives to the United States should contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at 1-800-375-5283. They can also contact the agency online at www.uscis.gov.

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