Immigration officials warn people to avoid Haiti earthquake scam

It never seems to fail: Where tragedy strikes, a scam artist appears.

Increasingly, the target of scams related to the Haitian disaster are not only donors looking to provide relief, but Haitians themselves.

Officials with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services met with members of Tampa Bay's Haitian community Tuesday evening at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. About three dozen people showed up for the forum, which the agency has been offering throughout Florida and the country to answer questions about temporary protected status.

Scam artists have been using President Barack Obama's temporary status offer to charge potential applicants for forms, to schedule appointments with immigration personnel and other services that are free.

Reports of the scams prompted immigration to issue warnings over the past few days to those seeking temporary status to be on guard.

"These folks are at a vulnerable time," said Sharon Scheidhauer, a spokeswoman for the immigration agency.

In e-mails and online, misinformation has circulated about how the temporary protected status works.

"I don't think enough information has been disseminated to the Haitian community," Micki Morency, a St. Petersburg resident, told the government and community panelists.

"I get a lot of calls from the community," Morency said. "You can sense the fear. Why should I stick my neck out there?"

To apply, Haitian citizens must have been in the United States before Jan. 12, the date of the earthquake. The deadline to apply for temporary status in the United States is July 20.

There are no fees for paperwork and appointments. The only fees are the $50 application fee; an $80 fee for those over 14 years old to have fingerprinting and photographs (called biometrics); and a $340 work authorization fee.

Applicants should not pay more than $470 total for the whole process.

There are organizations that will help with the forms for free, including Tuesday night's event sponsor, Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, at gcjfs.org. Gulf Coast Legal Services (gulfcoastlegal.org) also provides free assistance with the temporary status process.

"Please use recognized attorneys and legal services," Ann Marie Winter, program administrator for Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, urged people at the forum.

Scheidhauer said the agency has received reports of scam artists charging $100 for blank forms.

"It's free on our Web site," Scheidhauer said. "Don't pay money for somebody to give you a form."

Immigration maintains a Web site dedicated to providing guidance on its response to Haiti at uscis.gov/haitianearthquake.

So here's the Edge, courtesy of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:

• Do not sign any blank papers or documents you do not understand.

• Do not let anyone keep your original documents.

• Do not pay more than a nominal fee to someone who is not an attorney, and don't make payments on the Internet.

• Make copies of all documents prepared or submitted for you.

• Get a receipt whenever you pay someone to assist you in completing or submitting forms.

Ivan Penn can be reached at ipenn@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2332.