OPINION: Immigration crackdown adds to confusion over what is a scam and what is legitimate

This is what it’s come to: A chaotic crackdown on immigration has made it much more difficult to determine what is a scam and what is actually the government at work. Case in point: Some Santa Fe residents were confused and frightened recently when a notice was left on their doors, asking them to contact an agent from the federal Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.

The signed notice — which had scratched-out numbers and words — said “It is necessary that I speak with you” about a particular individual’s “fitness and suitability” for a sensitive government position. It asked people to respond via the phone number listed. It also gave a number and website to verify that the agent who signed it was legitimate.

What happened next ended up involving the Santa Fe Dreamers Project, the Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque and the FBI, all asked to weigh in on whether this was a fake immigration ploy or an authentic contact from the government.

I got involved, too. In a recent column, I warned people that the notice was bogus, based on confirmation from the Dreamers Project.

That was wrong. The notice was genuine, part of the defense agency’s job of vetting applicants for often high-security jobs by contacting neighbors and other references, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency spokeswoman Cindy McGovern says.

The Albuquerque FBI office weighed in as well: “Although it appears that this form is outdated, it is not a scam.”

McGovern says a contract investigator crossed out an old phone number and wrote in a new one. The investigator also hand-wrote the title of his position, making the form seem less than official.

“I suspect they (the contractor) used existing inventory (of forms) that they had on hand,” she says. “... We will review our use of these notices to see if they are still useful. If so, we will look at revising them to make them clearer about what we are asking and why. There is always room for improvement.”

The climate for immigrants — and even legal residents — is so fraught that the notices prompted immediate and widespread social media alarm.

The Mexican consulate in Albuquerque initially chimed in to warn that the forms could be counterfeit — before hearing back from the FBI verifying authenticity.

“Unfortunately, people in general are so afraid, anything they see that’s weird, they think ICE or police are detaining people,” says Dulce Zamora, deputy counsel of the Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque.

Others assumed it was a scammer at work, posing as a government employee, says Miles Tokunow, head of the Santa Fe Dreamers Project.

Cat video was cute but fake

Everyone loves a good cat video. (Or should we say “most people?”) Nonetheless, don’t favor your heartstrings over your purse strings just because you saw a heartwarming video on social media seeking donations for a featured cat shelter. The same goes for puppy, cow or piglet videos.

The Better Business Bureau received a report recently about TikTok videos that featured “a little old man and his wife who make cat toys to support their failing cat shelter.”

The video is fake and possibly AI-generated, the BBB says. Check whether a charity is legitimate by looking for its rating at Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, or Give.org.