SINGAPORE QUARTERLY FRAUD SUMMARY - Q1 FY2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SINGAPORE 000225 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR CA/FPP AND INL/HSTC DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO KCC FRAUD MANAGER POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION MANAGER SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC SN SUBJECT: SINGAPORE QUARTERLY FRAUD SUMMARY - Q1 FY2007 REFS: (A) Kuala Lumpur 00008 (B) 06 SINGAPORE 03469 (C) 06 SINGAPORE 01335 SINGAPORE 00000225 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. SUMMARY: H-1B fraud remained the most common fraud activity that we saw in Singapore this quarter. Post began utilizing Lexis Nexis this quarter to support fraud-prevention activities. The number of H-1B applications from unqualified and/or short-term residents of Singapore originating from India seems to have dropped this quarter. Post devoted significant resources to addressing potential adoption fraud. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Singapore Fraud Summary ¶A. COUNTRY CONDITIONS: Singapore remained a low-fraud environment for consular services. Singapore's pool of visa applicants is comprised of well-qualified individuals with reliable documentation for the most part. Our key concern continued to be the potential for fraud by the Indian H-1B applicant pool. ¶B. NIV FRAUD Post continued to implement more stringent measures in the adjudication of H-1B IT applicants originating from India. The FPU unit utilized Nexis Lexis to vet petitioners' information submitted through tax returns, W-2 forms, payroll registries, LCAs, I-129s, and other documents. In addition, post continued to exchange information with nearby posts concerning the legitimacy of local companies. Officers applied the enhanced understanding of USCIS and its requirements that they gained through attendance at fraud conferences to improve the focus and substance of memos recommending petition revocation for suspect petition-based visa applications. Our sense is that there has been a drop in fraudulent applications as well as a decrease in applications from recent arrivals to Singapore, though it is too early to develop meaningful statistics. ¶C. IV FRAUD: See adoption fraud. Otherwise, IV fraud remained minimal. ¶D. DV Fraud: No change. ¶E. ACS AND PASSPORT FRAUD: No change. ¶F. ADOPTION FRAUD: In August 2006, post's IV unit noticed a trend in American citizens inquiring about applying for immigration benefits for Malaysian babies to be adopted in Singapore. Prospective adoptive parents gave inconsistent information to IV staff and officers concerning whether or not they had already identified a child for adoption and the details surrounding the prospective adoption. While absolute numbers were low (half a dozen in a few months),on a relative scale for this post it was a surge. Post's immigrant visa officer swiftly engaged Embassy Kuala Lumpur (ref A),CA, and USCIS Hong Kong, as some of the information provided by inquirers raised concerns about potential child trafficking. In particular, it was noted that the children apparently had been brought to Singapore on social visit passes by un-named "agents" of some sort for the purpose of adoption, possibly without compliance with Malaysian laws on adoption or guardianship. Only one couple has filed a formal application for immigration benefits (I-600),which post referred to USCIS for adjudication. USCIS denied the case w. We have posted a notice on our website urging American citizens who wish to adopt in Singapore to consult with the Embassy, submitted an updated adoption flyer to CA for clearance and posting, and scheduled joint outreach activities with USCIS for the current quarter to educate potential adoptive parents about the intricacies of international adoption and U.S. immigration requirements. ¶G. ASYLUM AND OTHER DHS BENEFIT FRAUD: No change. ¶H. COOPERATION WITH HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES: The GOS in general SINGAPORE 00000225 002.2 OF 002 remained eager to share information related to non-Singapore citizens involved in alien smuggling or mala fide travel schemes. The GOS also remained reluctant to release information about Singapore nationals due to strict privacy laws, though there are no significant cases to report. ¶I. AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN: None J: STAFFING AND TRAINING: Embassy Singapore hosted the CA-organized EAP Fraud Conference in November. Post's Fraud Assistant and all officers attended all or parts of the conference. Officers had the opportunity to meet their counterparts in the region and discussed face-to-face issues previously approached only via emails or phone calls. Post's FPM also attended the KCC-hosted L-1 Visa Fraud Prevention Conference in October, which was a great success. The FPM brought back invaluable information on work visa fraud and trends to share with other officers at Post. The FPM encouraged all LES staff to complete the online training related to detecting impostors and almost all LES staff members have completed the course. HERBOLD