Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SOFIA181
2006-02-02 13:51:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Sofia
Cable title:  

QUARTERLY FRAUD SUMMARY, SOFIA, OCT-DEC 2005

Tags:  CVIS KFRD CPAS CMGT ASEC BU 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SOFIA 000181

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR CA/FPP; DEPT ALSO PASS TO KCC; POSTS FOR
FRAUD PREVENTION MANAGERS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS KFRD CPAS CMGT ASEC BU
SUBJECT: QUARTERLY FRAUD SUMMARY, SOFIA, OCT-DEC 2005


A. COUNTRY CONDITIONS
--------------
Bulgaria is a country from which economic migration -- both
legal and illegal -- continues strong. Many Bulgarian
workers now reside in other European countries, especially
Greece, Spain and the United Kingdom, but the U.S. remains
another favorite destination. Chicago has probably the
largest number of Bulgarian immigrants (perhaps more than
100,000),with other top spots being New York, Los Angeles,
Atlanta, St. Louis, and Detroit. The most typical pattern
for Bulgarian illegal migrants to the U.S. is to spend six
months or so at a time working and then return for an
indefinite period -- sometimes permanently -- to Bulgaria.
Even green card holders are often reluctant to actually
reside permanently in the States, and many use their green
cards as long-term multiple entry visas.

Just over half of all Bulgarians over the age of 15 (3.41
million) is believed to be economically active. While
unemployment has been dropping over the last year, currently
the unemployment rate is 10.4 percent, and rises to about
20.5 percent among younger Bulgarians. Approximately 30
percent of the employed have neither medical nor social
insurance. Compared to the same period last year, the
Bulgarian economy grew by 4.6 percent in the third quarter
of 2005. Productivity in the public sector continues to
decline, while the private sector continues to become more
efficient.

Since 1990 approximately one million Bulgarians have
apparently left the country, and best estimates are that at
least half of them reside abroad illegally. Most of the
Bulgarians who decide to settle abroad fall within the 30-45
age group. Typically they work, though long-term students
do comprise an estimated 10 percent of this group. A recent
Social Affairs Ministry analysis indicates that the number
of Bulgarians who want to work abroad is decreasing, and
that there may be an incipient trend of expat Bulgarians
returning to their home country.

Official Bulgarian identification documents -- passports, ID
cards ("lichna kartas"),birth certificates and so on -- are
generally of high quality and quite tamper resistant, and

difficult to obtain fraudulently. Criminal records,
however, are a different matter. Due to a high level of
corruption within the judicial system, it is relatively easy
to ensure investigations are not pursued, prosecutions do
not occur, or records are expunged.


B. NIV FRAUD
--------------
B1/B2 Visa Fraud: FPU has detected no signs that visa
fixers are becoming particularly advanced or canny here. We
continue to see mainly unsophisticated fraud, such as fake
invitation and/or employment letters, and the like. Last
quarter we dealt with a handful of cases involving
applicants tied to organized crime seeking business visas.
In all of these cases we have sent advisory opinions to the
Department requesting concurrence on visa ineligibility.

Using the methodology endorsed and provided by CA/FPP, FPU
conducted a B1/B2 validation study, reported in 05
Sofia 2069.

In December, FPU conducted an investigation of visa-fixing
operations around Sofia. All of these were ready to prepare
an entire application package, including fake documents and
coaching. A U.S. invitation letter costs about USD 600.00,
while a letter of employment that is verifiable with the
Bulgarian Social Security Services can be purchased for USD
200.00. If the visa is issued, FPU learned that an
additional USD 2,800 is payable. Again, we have caught many
of these phony papers at the visa windows, and have noted
few that are very convincing. One visa-fixing shop offered
documents verifying membership on a recognized sports team,
along with a one-way ticket to the U.S. for 5000.00 Euros.
None of these visa "companies" has a fixed address, name, or
business or office phones. They use cell phones and meet
their clients at coffee shops in the center of the city.
There seem to be fewer visa-fixers in circulation now
compared to recent years, but their fees appear to have
increased.

Macedonians who live and work in Macedonia do continue to
apply with recently issued Bulgarian passports, but their
number has dropped significantly. About 20 Macedonians
submit applications for Bulgarian citizenship at the
Bulgarian Consulate in Skopje every day.

C1/D Visas: Nothing to report.
H Visa Fraud: Post recently conducted a validation study
for H2B visas issued from May 2003 through May 2004. FPU
randomly selected 392 (50 percent) of the applicants and
discovered that 20 percent had overstayed. During that time
period post's H2B refusal rate was 14 percent. Due to this
high rate of overstay, Post is taking an even closer look at
all aspects of H2B applications. While we have not
definitively identified any fraudulent petitioners, we
remain wary.

One company we have strong suspicions about is AA Janitorial
& Management Services (petition LIN-05-064-51805). In
December three Ukrainians and a Russian flew to Sofia to
apply for their H2B visas. Two of the Ukrainians had
already applied for, and been denied, P3 visas as singers in
Kiev. The applicants claimed that AA Janitorial &
Management Services had required them to apply in Sofia,
because the company did not have a representative in Kiev.
FPU learned that the representative for Bulgaria is in fact
Valentin Petrov Milev, DOB 24 Aug 1966 (Issued a B1/B2 here
in 2000). He personally met the applicants at the Sofia
Airport, found them a hotel, and brought the group to a
travel agency called Valvex, where their application forms
were prepared. A search in the Bulgarian Company Register
showed that Milev is the sole owner of VALVEX Travel.
VALVEX is well known to FPU and is believed to be involved
in helping to smuggle Bulgarians to Mexico and on to the
U.S. A CCD search of all known AA Janitorial & Management
Services petitions -- LIN-05-064-51805 and LIN-06-012-52072
-- revealed large numbers of applicants who applied in
Tashkent and Cairo. We could not find any information about
the company or its business on the Internet. It seems they
do not advertise their services. RSOs and FPUs in Kiev,
Tashkent, and Cairo were accordingly informed about our
concerns.

J-1 Visa Fraud: While our numbers in this category continue
to rise dramatically (an expected increase of over 30
percent from last year),we thankfully haven't yet seen much
fraud. That said, our validation studies indicate
approximately 12 percent of our Summer Work and Travel J-1
recipients remain in the U.S. indefinitely after the summer
ends.

P Visa Fraud: Post does not have many applicants in this
category, but a large percentage of those we do get are
petitioned by Magic Star Entertainment (MSE),which hires
circus performers. We believe that MSE has been running a
side business slipping in non-legitimate applicants along
with real performers. We detailed this trend in 05 Sofia
2055 and we understand FPP and DS are conducting further
investigations. Amembassy Bucharest has also reported on
MSE.


C. IV FRAUD
--------------
Post has noted a rising trend involving stepparents and
stepchildren in the Chicago area. The pattern appears to be
that the Bulgarian parent, whose status in the U.S. is
uncertain at best and most often illegal, marries a
(typically naturalized) American Citizen. The Amcit
stepparent then petitions on behalf of the stepchild or
stepchildren. Many stepchildren are 18 or older, although
the cases can involve one or more younger children as well.
The child has not met the stepparent or spent any time with
her/him. There is no evidence of any relationship between
the child and the petitioning stepparent. When interviewed,
the child usually denies any knowledge of the whereabouts of
the other natural parent. In most of these cases we come to
the conclusion that the marriage is for the purpose of the
adoption only, and that the natural parents are still in
reality "together," though not both living in the U.S.
Presumably the other natural parent plans on trying to get
to the U.S. subsequently by some other means.

We also continue to note petitions based on fraudulent
marriages between Bulgarians and Amcits, particularly in the
Chicago area, where neither petitioner nor beneficiary are
able to demonstrate an actual relationship. The most common
claim in these cases is that the couple met online.


D. DV FRAUD
--------------
Steady trend of marriage fraud.


E. ACS AND PASSPORT FRAUD
--------------
Nothing to report.


F. ADOPTION FRAUD
--------------
There were few adoptions by Amcits during this period, and
we have no reason to suspect any fraud. The Bulgarian
Parliament passed new adoption laws in 2003 in order to
comply with the requirements of the Hague Convention, and
implementation of these laws began in late 2004. Since then
the number of adoptions of Bulgarian children by foreigners
has dropped precipitously. There were only 29 adoptions
here by Amcits in 2005, compared, for example, to 295 just
four years earlier. In the past, before the legislative
changes, corruption among Bulgarian orphanage directors was
fairly rampant. Nowadays the process is far more regulated
and slow, and decision-making power has shifted to a much
higher level, within the Ministry of
Justice.

G: ASYLUM AND OTHER DHS BENEFITS FRAUD
--------------
Post has noted a growing number of following-to-join (Visas
92) Immigrant Visa cases where it is obvious the original
successful asylum seekers based their claims on fraud,
pretending to be of Roma ethnicity. See 05 Sofia 1868 and
05 Sofia 2003 for details regarding this trend. We are
grateful to USCIS officials and consular officers at other
posts for their interest in and responses to our reports,
and we applaud USCIS's decision to reopen the original
asylum cases.

H: COOPERATION WITH HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES
-------------- --

Post receives valuable help regularly from Law Enforcement
Agencies in Bulgaria. Through the local Police, for
instance, FPU has immediate access to the Bulgarian Border
Police database, which tracks all entries and exits of
travelers. Actual prosecutions for fraud or human
trafficking here are still rare, though we did see several
in 2005, a definite positive sign.

FPU took two one-day trips to Dupnitsa and Pazardzhik, towns
known for fraudulent marriages, green card lottery winners,
and visa-fixing. FPU met high-ranking Municipal officials
who provided valuable information and who we hope will
become good working contacts.

I: AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN
--------------
Post continues to see Bulgarians obtain visas to Mexico,
from where they will seek to enter the U.S. undetected.

J: STAFFING AND TRAINING
--------------
Post has an FSO FPM, who is also NIV Chief. Post also has a
Consular Associate who is working part time for FPU, and two
full-time FSNs. Both FSN's completed the FSI Fraud
Prevention Course -- PC 542 (2001 and 2003). We would like
to see more training courses for FPU FSN's, particularly in
the area of investigation and interviewing techniques, as
well as writing skills.

Beyrle