According to the Haitian Embassy in Washington and the Greater Washington Haiti Relief Committee, Haitian Americans who hope to transport family members from the earthquake-ravished island should be cautious of an emerging scam.
The fraudulent scheme appears to offer Haitian Americans the documents they need to bypass the official government process for bringing family members from Haiti to the United States. Potential victims, who are reportedly handed fliers or reached by telephone, are told to wire $500 in exchange for the documents and a confirmation number that will allow them to fly to Haiti to extract five relatives.
The promised documents and flight in return for advance cash are entirely fraudulent. Haitian Americans seeking to relocate kin from the island and bring them to the U.S. should contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at (800) 375-5283 or online at www.uscis.gov.
