Renée Coe

The Project

Renee will advocate for immigrants and people with limited English proficiency in the Bay Area who are targeted by fraud and scams.

Scams skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they did not affect all communities equally. Scammers intentionally target immigrants and people with limited English proficiency (LEP) with threats and false promises of assistance. Immigrant and LEP victims of scams face barriers to attaining help because many institutions’ reporting procedures are accessible only in English and contacting law enforcement may put them or their family members at risk of immigration consequences.

Without consumer protection legal services focused on the unique needs of immigrants and LEP individuals, scammers will go unchecked and financial institutions will continue to look the other way, with devastating consequences for immigrant communities.

Renée believes that consumer rights are immigrants’ rights. She has a background in immigration law and consumer law, and she sees the potential of working at the intersection of these two fields to strengthen protections for immigrants in the Bay Area.

Fellowship Plans

During her Fellowship, Renée will represent low-income immigrants and LEP individuals who have experienced scams, focusing on liability for financial institutions that fail to prevent or adequately investigate fraudulent activity. Working with a network of community partners throughout Alameda County, Renée will conduct outreach to targeted communities and share information about how people can spot, avoid, and recover from scams. Renée will operate community-based legal clinics to help victims of scams safely pursue consumer law remedies and will work closely with immigration attorneys to provide wraparound support to her clients.