The Department of Homeland Security is investigating a sophisticated network of immigration scammers, and Homeland Security Investigations is pushing hard for evidence that can connect payments and fake identities to real actors. DHS says it is “declaring an all-out war” on the scammers. And this isn’t happening in a corner of the internet. The probe comes after ProPublica reported that complaints of immigration fraud doubled under the second administration of President Donald Trump.

At the center of the investigation is a pattern: scammers lure people caught up in immigration proceedings, take their money, and use fake “official-looking” steps to pressure victims. In one detailed case, a woman fearful of Trump’s nationwide immigration sweeps enlisted someone she thought would help her keep her legal status. After the scammers got her money and caused her to miss a court date, she was deported to Nicaragua. DHS is now seeking specific details about cases like this, including the kinds of digital breadcrumbs that can turn an online con into something investigators can actually prosecute.

Here’s what DHS Investigations wants. Sources knowledgeable about the inquiry say DHS is looking for URLs, WhatsApp numbers, and identifying information on Zelle payment app transactions that might trace back to scammers. The subagency’s normal lane includes international crimes like human trafficking, and this escalation suggests immigration fraud is being treated more like an organized threat than a garden-variety consumer scam. DHS also framed the crackdown as a national risk, saying immigration scammers “contribute to a lawless environment, undermining our immigration system and posing risks to national security and public safety.”

This crackdown is arriving as scammers scale their playbook with social media. ProPublica analyzed Federal Trade Commission data and found that victims and advocates reported at least $94.4 million was stolen over five years. The more than 6,200 complaints included everything from fake Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents demanding personal details and threatening deportation, to fraudsters targeting international students by exploiting their visa status and asking for money.

The mechanics are especially important for executives and operators because they are optimized for speed and plausible deniability. Scammers often advertise on platforms such as Facebook and TikTok, then move victims into encrypted messaging on WhatsApp. From there, victims are guided through fake court hearings and other steps that look real enough to drain savings and create real consequences, like missed court dates. Sometimes the scam is sold through fear of enforcement, including anxieties among lawful residents even when they have no intent to violate immigration rules.

You might have heard the term “notario fraud.” It often relies on a mistranslation of the word “notary,” which implies legal credentials in many Latin American countries. In recent weeks, multiple agencies issued warnings about these scams, including the New York Department of State, the Florida Bar, and local police departments. The American Bar Association has also warned about impersonators and has been in contact with DHS investigators. For boards and compliance leaders, the takeaway is blunt: this is not only a consumer protection issue, it is an ecosystem problem where legal services, immigration processes, and digital identity can be exploited in tandem.

The fraud is also getting more synthetic. In South Florida, immigration attorney Angel Leal said his office encountered hundreds of AI-generated videos of his likeness offering aid on WhatsApp. Local news reports say the office had to hire an anti-piracy agency to remove the content and over 6,000 fake profiles. The videos are strikingly realistic: Leal’s facial hair and expressions match the real attorney, he appears to speak fluent Spanish with enthusiastic hand gestures, and the set dressing includes a law degree behind him plus a potted plant or mug. Small mismatches can give the scam away. Some mouth movements do not match the words, gibberish text appears on documents and objects meld together. But by the time a target notices, payments may already have been sent.

Advocates and law enforcement say targeted people should document ads, text conversations, and payment information. DHS also warns consumers to be wary of lawyers advertising directly on social media, operating on WhatsApp, and taking payments over Zelle. Even for established organizations, removals can be hard. Scammers create new websites and accounts quickly, making enforcement resemble “Whac-a-Mole,” in the words of Charity Anastasio of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Catholic Charities USA, which has been inundated with reports of fraudsters using its brand to find potential marks, says scammers pose as affiliations the charity would never pursue. Kevin Brennan, vice president for media relations at Catholic Charities USA, said the group would not contact people via ad or WhatsApp and ask for money over Zelle.

So what does this mean beyond the headlines? For executives, regulators are signaling that digital fraud in immigration contexts will be investigated with a tighter evidence model: links, phone numbers, and transaction metadata on Zelle. For boards of nonprofits, law firms, insurtechs, and platforms that serve immigrant communities, the second-order effect is reputational and operational. Brand impersonation and AI-generated assets are becoming scalable attack surfaces, and the enforcement response will likely move from warnings to case building. If you operate anywhere near immigration services or trust-based legal support, DHS’s “all-out war” is a reminder that the cost of being slow to detect impersonation is not just money. It can be deportation.