SALT LAKE CITY — Attorneys can help immigrants stay informed of their status, but not all those offering the service are reputable — you have to be careful.

It often boils down to one of the oldest sayings of all time: If it seems too good to be true, it very likely is.

Local immigration attorney Shawn Smith calls it a perfect storm, a perfect climate for scams and fraud for the thousands of immigrants in Utah seeking legal advice right now. There's a combination of heightened emotions, fear and hope.

Smith says the immigration process is complex, more difficult than most folks understand, and it takes time.

Unfortunately, many are paying good money for false hopes or worse — an attorney, or someone claiming to be a lawyer, telling them something they want to hear for a fee, paid up fr

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