Re: [TSCM-L] {3460} Comrade, Please Present Your Papers

From: Maury Siskel <maur..._at_peoplepc.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:12:45 -0500

James M. Atkinson wrote:

>http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=82790&catid=158
>
>Post-9/11 Reforms Don't Stop Faked Passports
>Posted By: Jillian Coyle Date last updated: 3/13/2009 3:05:43 PM
>
>Using phony documents and the identities of a dead man and a
>5-year-old boy, a government investigator obtained U.S. passports in
>a test of post-9/11 security.
>
>WASHINGTON (AP) -- Using phony documents and the identities of a dead
>man and a 5-year-old boy, a government investigator obtained U.S.
>passports in a test of post-9/11 security.
>
>Despite efforts to boost passport security since the 2001 terror
>attacks, the investigator fooled passport and postal service
>employees on four separate applications, according to a new report.
>
>The ruses are detailed in a report being issued this week by the
>Government Accountability Office. A draft summary of the findings was
>obtained by The Associated Press.
>
>In one instance, the investigator used the Social Security number of
>a man who died in 1965, a fake New York birth certificate and fake
>Florida driver's license. He received a passport four days later.
>
>In another attempt, the investigator used a 5-year-old boy's
>information but identified himself as 53 years old on the passport
>application. He received that passport seven days later.
>
>In another test, the investigator used fake documents to get a
>genuine Washington D.C. identification card. He then used the card to
>apply for a passport and received it the same day.
>
>In a fourth test, the investigator used a fake New York birth
>certificate and a fake West Virginia driver's license and got the
>passport eight days later.
>
>Criminals and terrorists place a high value on illegally obtained
>travel documents, U.S. intelligence officials have said. Currently,
>poorly faked passports are sold on the black market for $300, while
>top-notch fakes go for around $5,000, according to Immigration and
>Customs Enforcement investigations.
>
>The State Department has known about this vulnerability for years. On
>February 26, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary of
>passport services issued a memo to Passport Services directors across
>the country stating that the agency is reviewing its processes for
>issuing passports because of "recent events regarding several
>passport applications that were approved and issued in error."
>
>In the memo, obtained by The Associated Press, Brenda Sprague said
>that in 2009 passport services would focus on the quality, not the
>quantity, of its passport issuance decisions. Typically, passport
>services officials are evaluated on how many passports they issue.
>Instead, Sprague said, the specialists should focus all their efforts
>on improving the integrity of the process, including "a renewed
>emphasis for Passport Specialists on recognizing authentic documents
>and fraud indicators on applications."
>
>Over the past seven years, U.S. officials have tried to increase
>passport security and make it more difficult to apply with fake documents.
>
>But these tests show the State Department -- which processes
>applications and issues passports -- does not have the ability to
>ensure that supporting documents are legitimate, said Janice Kephart,
>an expert on travel document security who worked on the 9/11
>Commission report.
>
>Kephart said this is the same problem that enabled some of the 9/11
>hijackers to use fake documents to get Virginia driver's licenses,
>which they used to board airplanes. Since 2001, states have taken
>measures to make driver's licenses more secure.
>
>"We have to address the ... document issue in a very big way, and we
>have yet to do that across the board," Kephart said.
>
>A State Department spokesman declined comment, saying agency
>officials had not seen the report.
>
>Two members of the Senate Judiciary terrorism and homeland security
>subcommittee requested the investigation.
>
>"It's very troubling that in the years since the September 11 attacks
>someone could use fraudulent documents to obtain a U.S. passport,"
>Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said in a statement.
>
>Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said the report confirmed her fears
>that U.S. passports aren't secure.
>
>"These passports can be used to purchase a weapon, fly overseas, or
>open a fraudulent bank account," Feinstein said. "This puts our
>nation in grave danger."
>
>
>
Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:16 CST