Thread: Terrorists, Criminals Can Easily Steal Americans' Identities

Undercover Op: Terrorists, Criminals Can Easily Steal Americans' Identities

Posted in: Jim Kouri
By Jim Kouri
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 1:53:18 PM ET

A federal undercover investigation reveals that terrorists or criminals could steal an American citizen's identity, use basic counterfeiting skills to create fraudulent documentation for that identity, and obtain a genuine U.S. passport from US State Department.

A genuine U.S. passport is a vital document, permitting its owner to travel freely in and out of the United States, prove U.S. citizenship, obtain further identification documents, and set up bank accounts, among other things.

Unfortunately, a terrorist or other criminal could take advantage of these benefits by fraudulently obtaining a genuine U.S. passport from the Department of State.

There are many ways that malicious individuals could fraudulently obtain a genuine U.S. passport, including stealing an American citizen's identity and counterfeiting or fraudulently obtaining identification or citizenship documents to meet State requirements. As a result, the Government Accountability Office was asked to proactively test the effectiveness of State's passport issuance process to determine whether the process is vulnerable to fraud.

To do so, the GAO designed four test scenarios that simulated the actions of a malicious individual who had access to an American citizen's personal identity information. GAO created counterfeit documents for four fictitious or deceased individuals using off-the-shelf, commercially available hardware, software, and materials. An undercover GAO investigator then applied for passports at three United States Postal Service locations and a State-run passport office.

GAO's investigation shows that terrorists or criminals could steal an American citizen's identity, use basic counterfeiting skills to create fraudulent documentation for that identity, and obtain a genuine U.S. passport from the State Department.

GAO conducted four tests simulating this approach and was successful in obtaining a genuine U.S. passport in each case. In the most egregious case, an undercover GAO investigator obtained a passport using counterfeit documents and the Social Security Number of a man who died in 1965.

In another case, the investigator obtained a passport using counterfeit documents and the genuine SSN of a fictitious 5-year-old child the GAO created for a previous investigation -- even though the investigator's counterfeit documents and application indicated he was 53 years old. All four passports were issued to the same GAO investigator, under four different names.

In all four tests, GAO used counterfeit and/or fraudulently obtained documents. State and USPS employees did not identify GAO's documents as counterfeit. GAO's investigator later purchased an airline ticket under the name used on one of the four fraudulently obtained U.S. passports, and then used that passport as proof of identity to check in to his flight, get a boarding pass, and pass through the security checkpoint at a major metropolitan-area airport.

At a briefing on the results of GAO's investigation, State officials agreed with GAO that the investigation exposes a major vulnerability in State's passport issuance process. According to State officials, the department's fraud detection efforts are hampered by limitations to its information sharing and data access with other federal and state agencies.

After GAO's briefing, State officials notified GAO that they identified and revoked GAO's four fraudulently obtained U.S. passports, and were studying the matter to determine the appropriate steps for improving State's passport issuance process.

http://www.michnews.com/Jim_Kouri/jk29017.shtml

According to State officials, the department's fraud detection efforts are hampered by limitations to its information sharing and data access with other federal and state agencies.

Then DO it! Make data sharing mandatory!

A federal undercover investigation reveals that terrorists or criminals could steal an American citizen's identity, use basic counterfeiting skills to create fraudulent documentation for that identity, and obtain a genuine U.S. passport from US State Department.

There are many ways that malicious individuals could fraudulently obtain a genuine U.S. passport, including stealing an American citizen's identity and counterfeiting or fraudulently obtaining identification or citizenship documents to meet State requirements.

Well gee who woulda thought?? Positive proof that illegal aliens ARE criminals, no?

After all the time, money, increased federal laws and bureaucracies, and, most of all...the so-called 'war on terror' and our soldiers lives lost or injured, this is the best we can do??? And the global elitists want to open up all of our borders??? Shameful!!!!!

Another hint. Anyone travelling abroad should never leave their passport in their luggage if they go out. Staying in youth hostels and small hotels across Europe in the 1970s, I always tucked my passport into my pajamas and slept with it and my camera. Getting robbed while you are asleep in some hotels is nothing new. I refused to put it into a hotel safe because you never know who has access, or who their buddies may be, especially these days.

Related:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-150196.html