Immigration attorney Liudmila Marcelo warned her audience about a new wave of scams using her name on TikTok, where a fake account was charging $150 for a supposed interview with her, something the attorney herself denied after personally contacting the scammer.
"We are experiencing issues with scammers again, this time from another account. In this case, I saw it on TikTok and I contacted this person through their phone myself, and this individual was asking for 150 dollars for an interview with me, which was completely false, of course, because it wasn't me," Marcelo explained during his program on CiberCuba alongside journalist Tania Costa.
This is not the first time the lawyer has faced this issue. At the beginning of June, she had already reported at least three or four fake accounts on TikTok that copied her videos and contacted people who asked about her in the comments.
In one of those cases, a victim arrived at their office believing they had an appointment at 8:00 a.m. after having paid 300 dollars for a non-existent service.
In light of the recurrence of these scams, Marcelo made a direct appeal to those who follow him: "Always call the phone number you see or on my website, go to Google and search for my name, my information will appear there. Only call that number, do not call any other phone."
The lawyer also took the opportunity to remind that she works completely independently, without partners or a team of attorneys: "Remember, I am on my own, I always say this... It's just me." She also clarified that she currently only accepts cases in Florida and Georgia: "I have narrowed it down to just Florida and Georgia."
The phenomenon of identity theft of lawyers on social media is increasingly affecting Hispanic and immigrant communities in the United States. According to ProPublica, reports of immigration fraud to the Federal Trade Commission nearly doubled in 2025, rising from about 960 annually to nearly 2,000, with TikTok and Facebook being the primary platforms where victims encounter fake lawyers.
During the same program, Marcelo answered questions from followers regarding their immigration processes. To a person with a Notice to Appear under charges of Article 212 who entered through CBP One, he explained that they are considered an "arriving alien" and must submit their asylum application to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): "Submit it to USCIS and then ask the judge to close the court case. But you need to request a FOIA so that your parole appears."
He also advised a Cuban woman identified as Yané, who was expelled from her job at a hospital or polyclinic for refusing to join the Communist Party. Marcelo recommended that she seek testimonials from colleagues as evidence for her asylum case, since the regime would not provide any official documentation: "Since you won't be able to obtain the letter, because if they expelled you for that, they will want to harm you until the very last moment."
The lawyer emphasized that those signed testimonies, sent from Cuba, could be crucial in demonstrating political persecution to U.S. immigration authorities.
Those who wish to verify the actual contact details of Liudmila Marcelo can consult her official website or search for her name directly on Google to obtain her legitimate phone number and avoid falling into the hands of scammers.
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