HUNDREDS LOSE MONEY IN CITIZENSHIP SCAM
Yet another swindle promising a quick and easy path to citizenship has been discovered, and like all the others it has left immigrants wondering about their situation in the US. The First US Citizens Service Center, with offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn, promised no hassle naturalization for a fee between 0 and 0. Most of the victims, who totaled over 1000, were elderly Chinese. The scam was discovered after several hundred people reported complaints about the agency to the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association. While the immigrants were not complaining about illegal activity, the Association soon realized not everything was above board. It seems the First US Citizens Service Center would refer immigrants to doctors who would certify to the INS that they were disabled. This would allow the immigrant to avoid the naturalization interview at which their limited English would most likely prevent them from being naturalized. Both offices of First US Citizens Service Center are now closed, and no one knows where any of those involved in the scheme are. According to the New York City commissioner for consumer affairs, it is the largest citizenship scam ever discovered in the city. Both the state attorney’s office and a federal prosecutor are investigating. 
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