Our Services and Your Safety
Important customer advisory regarding our services and your safety:
As a nonprofit organization, ImmDef will never request payment for our services.
Service Fees
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) will NEVER charge our clients any money to receive services. As a nonprofit organization, we will always provide free legal services.
Calls/Messages from ImmDef
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) will NEVER reach out to new clients through social media platforms. To verify whether a call or message came from ImmDef, please call our main line. Contact us by calling our bilingual (English/Spanish) main office phone number, 213-634-0999, open from 9 AM- 4:30 PM PST. If you need assistance in another language, we can find interpretation with an appointment. If you need immediate assistance following immigration enforcement or detention, call (213) 833-8283 for our Rapid Response Hotline; calls will be responded to Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm PST. You may email us for general inquiries at info@immdef.org. Visit our Contact page for further information.
Avoid Immigration Services Scams and Phishing Attempts
Your safety is important. Here's how to avoid scams in your immigration court journey:
1. Verify providers are licensed or accredited. Do not hire an immigration advisor or a notary. Only attorneys, accredited representatives, and recognized organizations can give you legal advice or represent you in immigration court.
2. Seek second opinions.
3. Ask for written agreements and receipts.
4. Be wary of promises of quick processing or misleading promises to certain legal outcomes. Do not trust anyone who claims to obtain special favors from the government or guarantees you a work permit or any other immigration benefit. Do not trust anyone who wants you to act immediately.
5. Never provide personal information over the phone or in email without verifying the legitimacy of the contact.
6. Do not pay for immigration forms. These forms can be accessed free of charge by visiting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website at uscis.gov/forms.
7. Verify valid communication from our team by calling our main line, 213-634-0999.
8. Keep your original legal documents in a safe place and do not give your original documents to anyone unless you verify that the government requires the original document. If you give someone the original, they may lose it or refuse to return it unless you pay them.
9. Don't sign anything until you understand what you're signing. Don't agree to anything that isn't in writing and in a language you understand. If you don't speak the language of the contract, ask for it to be translated.
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Report a Scam
If you believe that someone is imitating Immigrant Defenders Law Center and/or our staff, please let us know by emailing info@immdef.org or call our main line 213-634-0999. If you are a victim of an immigration scam contact your local District Attorney or county consumer affairs department. Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/. Contact the U.S. Department of Justice's Fraud and Abuse Prevention Program by emailing EOIR.Fraud.Program@usdoj.gov or calling (703) 305-0470. If you are in California, report it to the California Department of Justice at oag.ca.gov/report.
