Garden City ? A scam artist posing as an attorney bilked two immigrants out of $1,000 and disappeared with their Social Security and resident cards, authorities said.

The incident, reported Wednesday, prompted a public warning from the Finney County Sheriff’s Department.

“We want to warn residents that there are bad people out there scamming unsuspecting immigrants out of money and documents,” Undersheriff John Andrews said.

Andrews said a man had approached a man and a woman who live in Finney County and offered to assist them in gaining legal residence in the United States.

“He took $500 from each of the victims and requested their resident and Social Security cards, stating he was going to make copies and would return them in 30 minutes,” Andrews said. “He never returned.”

Andrews said immigrant residents were often worried about not being “legal,” even if their documents were in order, so many look for ways to guarantee their ability to remain in the country.

“Revocation,” Andrews said. “It’s a fear that scam artists play on.”

Andrews said the case remained under investigation and there were no suspects.

Figures from the 2000 census showed that Finney County, which includes Garden City, had 40,523 residents, 43.3 percent of them Hispanic. Many Hispanic immigrants come to southwest Kansas to work in beef packing plants.