Colombia's Attorney General's office reported that an international operation has led to the arrest of 19 members of a criminal network. They scammed over 700 people across 15 countries by selling fake U.S. work visas. The suspects posed as officials from U.S. agencies, convincing victims they were participating in a visa process for jobs in hospitality, construction, and gardening. Victims were required to transfer between $50,000 and $90,000 to individuals in Miami, Houston, Boston, and Chicago, who claimed to be U.S. officials helping them secure visa appointments and documents. In Colombia, three individuals were arrested: Danna Pamela Porras Marín, Andrés Giraldo Ospina, and Edwin Alberto Correa David. They are wanted for extradition to Florida on charges of electronic fraud, money laundering, visa fraud, identity fraud, and fraud in the hiring of foreign workers. In Colombia, authorities also found the necessary infrastructure for counterfeiting documents, including a manual press bearing the seal of the U.S. Department of State. The network used fake government IDs, including Social Security cards and U.S. permanent resident cards.
