New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo introduced earlier this week new penalties for individuals or entities who defraud people of immigration-related assistance.

Prior to Cuomo's announcement on Monday, New York offered no law specifically protecting immigrants from exploitation, fraud and scams. Effective as of the governor's announcement, fraudsters are subject to felony and/or misdemeanor charges.

"Today, New York State is taking an important step to protect those who come here in search of a brighter future," Cuomo said in a statement. "These new laws will protect individuals and families from immigration assistance fraud, and allow the State to aggressively crack down on those who would rob others of the opportunity to pursue the American dream."

According to Cuomo's office, con artists have posed as immigration attorneys or authorized immigration representatives and have charged fees for unnecessary services.

Cuomo identified some forms of immigration scams including wrongful guarantees of permanent U.S. residency or citizenship, unauthorized application preparation of immigration benefits, false impersonation of immigration officials and undeserved threats of deportation.

"In addition to creating immigration assistance fraud in the first and second degree as new and distinct crimes under the Penal Law, the new laws also strengthen consumer protections by enhancing translation requirements, barring the use of misleading job titles in signs and advertisements, and increasing civil penalties for violations of existing consumer protection laws," noted Cuomo's statement of the new law.

Based on the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) data, more than 890 complaints of immigration services fraud were reported in the U.S. during 2013, which included 100 cases from New York through the state's New Americans Hotline and the FTC. The law's introduction comes as immigration advocates and government officials acknowledged concerns of increased fraudulent cases with the expansion of President Barack Obama's deferred action programs -- namely the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs -- and while comprehensive immigration reform debates continue in Congress.

The New York State law includes new protections to combat immigration assistance fraud, including the launch of multilingual public service campaigns warning immigrants of potential fraud, expansion of the New York State New Americans Hotline, increasing free immigration law training for immigration non-profit organizations to earn federal accreditation and strengthening law enforcements' coordination on fraudulent matters.

Cuomo added, "I am proud that these new laws are taking effect today, because they will help New York continue to welcome people of all races, cultures and nationalities for years to come."

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