Fake identification center of huge illegal immigrant raid
595 people were arrested on Tuesday at a Mississippi plant on illegal immigration charges. According to Reuters, the investigation centered around identity theft issues and the use of fake social security cards by the laborers.
From Reuters:
U.S. immigration agents have arrested 595 people at a Mississippi factory in what was the largest workplace enforcement raid in [...]
Blank British passports stolen
Black British passports were stolen by hijackers in Northern England.
From the AFP (via Yahoo News):
Hijackers made off with boxes of blank British passports worth a fortune on the black market in a raid on a delivery van, police said Tuesday, in the latest blow to the government’s record on security.
Detectives said the 24 boxes of [...]
22,000 counterfeit passports seized in Thailand
From the Counterterrorism Blog:
Today Thai authorities announced arrests in an enormous counterfeit passport ring. 12 people were arrested and some 20,000 fake passports were seized. It was the second such arrest in the past month.
The 12-person gang, included Thais, Burmese, and Indonesians. The 20,000 passports were from a diverse group of countries: Burma, Brunei, Canada, [...]
Counterfeit documents flooding Houston
The US city of Houston is confronting a flood of fake identity documents that are being sold to illegal immigrants.
From the Houston Chronicle:
Illegal immigrants fearful of being caught in stepped-up workplace raids are fueling a growing market in Houston for phony immigration and work documents.
The result, experts say, is a glut of false, altered and [...]
Estimated 20 million lost or stolen passports circulating the world
Source: Moises Naim, Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers, and Copycats are hijacking the global economy, (New York: Doubleday, 2005), pg. 101.
Interpol maintains database of 14 milion lost or stolen identy documents
In a database maintained by Interpol, 14 million lost or stolen identity documents are listed.
Source: Caroline Brothers, “Iraqis turn to gangs to flee for safety,” International Herald Tribune, July 26, 2007,(accessed: July 31, 2007).
Fake IDs included in human smuggling fee
Fake IDs are often including in the smuggling fees for undocumented immigrants who are smuggled from Mexico.While in the United States, undocumented immigrants are able to purchase identifications from flea markets and other vendors for $75 to $300. Papers available for purchase include Social Security cards, Driver Licenses, and Green Cards.
Source: David Montgomery, “ID forgery [...]
$10,000 to $25,000 to purchase a fake passport in China
The human smuggling industry in China charges people between $10,000 to $25,000 to purchase a fraudulent passport, and between $3,000 to $5,000 to alter the photo of a passport.
Source: National Institute of Justice, “Characteristics of Chinese Human Smugglers,” Research in Brief, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, August 2004, pg.7, [...]
Create a passport in Thailand for $245
In Thailand, a basic counterfeit passport is able to be created in 2 hours for $245. For a higher quality counterfeit passport, the price rises to $1,000 to $1,250.
Source: AP, “Thailand still king for counterfeiting,” Taipei Times, October 5, 2005, (last accessed: May 1, 2006).
For fake IDs, head to British Colombia, Canada
The Vancouver Sun is reporting that British Colombia is becoming the place to go to purchase a fake ID.
B.C. has become an international centre for the production of fake ID cards and a “loophole” in Canadian law means police here are largely powerless to stop it, according to an internal report by the Canada Border [...]
