FRAUD SUMMARY ? TALLINN: SECOND QTR FY2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TALLINN 000362 SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/FPP; DEPT ALSO PASS TO KCC: POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION MANAGERS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFRD VIS CPAS CMGT ASEC EN SUBJECT: FRAUD SUMMARY ? TALLINN: SECOND QTR FY2006 REF: A) 06 TALLINN 099; B) 06 TALLINN 109; C) 05 TALLINN 964 D) 05 STATE 205073 Answers keyed to ref D: ¶A. COUNTRY CONDITIONS: Estonia's economy is growing (GDP up 9.8 percent in 2005),boosted by the country's 2004 accession to the EU, other factors. In March 2005 unemployment stood at 5.9 percent natio was considerably higher in some regions. The standard of living is o than that found in western European countries. In most families, in husband and wife are employed. Russian and Estonian organized crime exist throughout Estonia and members sometimes seek U.S. visas. Because Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union for 50 years, a larg of Russian speakers remains in Estonia. Relations between the Estonia and the Russian-speaking minority are sometimes strained. As of 2005 persons in Estonia were considered stateless and traveled on Estonian "alien passports", which do not accord the same travel privileges to Schengen countries as Estonian passports. The number of stateless p decreasing due to naturalization. In 2005, 89 percent of Posts' NIV held Estonian passports, 5 percent stateless alien passports, 5 perce passports, and 1 percent passports from some other country. A machin readable Estonian passport has been issued since February 2002, and a digitized since May 1 2005. The alien passport is made to the same s the Estonian citizen passport and is machine readable and photo-digit Passport with biometric data chip is expected in 2007. The volume of Estonian travel to the United States is low, due largel country's small population. Additionally, there are currently no dir flights between Estonia and the United States, nor is there a large E American population in the United States. In 2004, according to DHS there were 8,230 nonimmigrant admissions of Estonian nationals to the States. ¶B. NIV FRAUD: NIV fraud in Estonia centers on attempts to enter the U States to work illegally on a B1/B2 visa. Significant NIV fraud is n Post; however, occasional bogus job letters and bank statements and f contact information are occasionally presented. Post processed 7,709 2004, with an adjusted refusal rate of 9.28 percent. Visa staff perf checks of job letters and of the legitimacy of U.S. contact informati by applicants. A recent check revealed a cluster of unsuccessful NIV 
all giving the same Brooklyn NY resident as the person in the U.S. th visit; a CCD check revealed the same point of contact used by an appl refused in Tashkent in 2003. ¶C. IV FRAUD: Tallinn is not an IV issuing post, but it accepts peti spouses and children of American Citizens. Embassy Helsinki performs immigrant visa processing for residents of Estonia. Post does not be there is significant marriage fraud, though we have encountered the o "not clearly approvable" petition. ¶D. DV FRAUD: Post does not issue diversity visas. ¶E. ACS AND PASSPORT FRAUD: Post reports no ACS fraud. ¶F. ADOPTION: Post does not issue visas for adopted children but does I-604 investigations. Post has not detected fraud related to adopti ¶G. ASYLUM AND OTHER DHS FRAUD: Post is not aware of significant DHS benefit fraud. There have been apparent asylum fraud investigati from DHS involving stateless or Russian passport holder claiming asyl U.S. based on dubious claims of persecution in Estonia. Post has not case, however, since early 2005. Recently, the use in the United Sta altered I-797C H1B approval notice by an Estonian national was brough Post's attention. The form had surfaced in the media when it was use connection with an international chess federation matter. Post Fraud manager and RSO are investigating whether the altered form was ever u gain U.S. immigration benefits. ¶H. .COOPERATION WITH HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES: Post has received excellent cooperation from Estonian authorities, particu Interior Ministry, the Citizenship and Migration Board, the Criminal national Security Police, and the Border Guards. In February 2006, of the Interior provided Post with electronic lists of all passports alien) ever reported as lost of stolen. The lists included 81,307 is passports and 119 blank Estonian passports. Post has since kept CLAS updated, forwarding lost and stolen data on an additional 1,399 Eston passports and 151 stateless passports. Any Estonian or Estonian-issued alien passport can be checked against Migration Boards' lost and stolen document database at their website: http://www.mig.ee/eng/inquiries/ ¶I. AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN: Estonia remains a source, transit and destination country for trafficking in persons. Women trafficked are mostly destined for other European countries, particularly Scandi Nordic countries. Estonia hopes to join the Schengen area in 2007. occurs illegal immigration into Estonia may increase as it becomes a onward passport-free travel to the rest of the EU. At a recent visit Guards at Tallinn airport, Post was told that 80 percent of airport p TALLINN 00000362 002 OF 002 traffic is to or from Schengen countries. Currently, the largest sing fraudulent document users encountered by at Tallinn international air Moldovan nationals using Romanian passports, falsified or as imposter ¶J. STAFFING AND TRAINING: The consular section consists of two office one consular associate and two FSNs. Both help with fraud prevention required. Both officers have completed PC541 Fraud Prevention for Co Managers. WOS