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Tell TikTok: Stop Fake Lawyers From Scamming Immigrants

October 29, 2026

Imagine needing an immigration lawyer, finding a familiar face on TikTok, and sending money—only to discover you’ve paid an impostor.

An October 21 investigation by Documented exposes an ongoing impersonation problem. Reporters identified 21 accounts using immigration attorney Mohammad Saleem’s name, likeness, or videos. Sixteen were still active when reported.

The investigation also documented outright scams. One account copied Saleem’s videos and demanded a $300 consultation fee. TikTok removed it after a reporter contacted the company. Families should not need media intervention to get a scammer taken down.

Two adults embracing a child outdoors.

These accounts hijack the trust real attorneys have spent years building. One AI-generated video made Saleem appear to direct viewers to a WhatsApp number unrelated to his practice. Other impersonators copied lawyers’ videos and replaced their contact details.

The face looks familiar and the advice sounds authoritative, but the money goes to someone else.

For a family scraping together legal fees, that loss can put legitimate representation further out of reach. Scammers turn the urgent need to protect a loved one into an opportunity to steal.

TikTok says it bans impersonation and scams. Its response to Documented shows it can act when scrutiny mounts. The new investigation creates an opportunity to demand that the company respond consistently when attorneys and families report abuse.

TikTok must provide expedited impersonation reporting with human review, prompt acknowledgment, published review deadlines, and status updates. It must promptly remove confirmed fraudulent accounts, block their monetization, and detect and remove replacement scam accounts. People who interacted with confirmed scammers should receive warnings and links to legitimate legal-help resources.

A family’s fear of deportation should never become a scammer’s payday.

Thanks for all that you do,
Matt from the Swarm