Haitian immigrants can now file for temporary protected status (TPS), but the state attorney general's office is warning applicants to beware of those who may be overcharging for assistance in filing. NY1's Susan Jhun filed this follow-up NY1 For You report.

"Marie" came from Haiti to the United States on a visitor's visa, and last week, NY1 reported on how she was looking for assistance in filing for Temporary Protected Status.

TPS grants a temporary stay in the United States for 18 months, and it is now being granted to Haitian citizens who have been in the United States since or prior to January 12, when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. If TPS applicants file two additional forms, they are eligible to work or study in the United States and travel in and out of the country.

After hearing ads on Haitian radio for a local organization called Chay Pa Lou offering assistance in filing, Marie went, filed for TPS, employment authorization and a travel document, and paid $1,300 in cash, including over $500 in fees.

The State Attorney General's Office told NY1 that charging such a large amount for filings is illegal. According to State General Business Law, a person providing immigrant assistance services should not charge excessive fees, and several court rulings deemed even $75 to be excessive.

Marie refused to be on camera, but her friend Marcelle Bichotte, who is speaking on her behalf, says that many Haitians are being similarly victimized.

"They are really preying on people's fear and desperation," says Bichotte.

NY1 reached out to Chay Pa Lou, and the owner claimed he did not know it was illegal to charge such fees and he said he will stop charging that much. When the station asked him if he would refund the money to those he has overcharged, he simply said he didn't know.

"This money, she could send it to Haiti to help her family who are homeless, who are on the street," says Bichotte.

"We need to communicate to the mass Haitian Community in Creole that there are places they can go to like the City Bar Association where they can fill out their application for free," says Rodneyse Bichotte, another friend of Marie.

Marie and others have filed complaints against Chay Pa Lou, and the state attorney general's office confirmed that it received the complaints and is in the process of reviewing them.

NY1 will continue to follow this story.

To find out who qualifies for TPS and for a list of accredited places, call 1-800-375-5283 or visit www.uscis.gov.