FRAUD SUMMARY - JORDAN

UNCLAS AMMAN 001260 SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/FPP; DEPT ALSO PASS TO KCC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC JO SUBJECT: FRAUD SUMMARY - JORDAN -------------- COUNTRY CONDITIONS -------------- ¶1. (U) Jordan is a developing country with a per capita income of $5,000 and a population of nearly 6.3 million. Almost one third of the population lives in the capital city of Amman and about thirty percent of Jordanians are younger than 14. The service sector comprises over 77 percent of the economy, industry covers 20 percent, and the remaining three percent is agriculture-based. Although Jordan's official unemployment rate is 12.9 percent, unofficial estimates put this figure substantially higher at 30 percent. Scarce natural resources, poverty, inflation and unemployment are significant problems in Jordan, but over the past ten years, the government has enacted broad economic reforms to improve the standard of living. ¶2. (U) Jordan is host to a significant number of Iraqi refugees who fled Iraq for security and economic reasons over the several years. In May of 2008, the Government of Jordan imposed a visa regime for Iraqis which limited the number of Iraqis arriving in Jordan. The continually-improving security situation in Iraq permits Iraqis to once again have access to a broad range of consular services at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. These two factors have resulted in a decrease of Iraqis interviewing in Amman. Over the past six months of this reporting period, October through March, Iraqi applicants in Amman represented six percent of post's visa workload. ¶3. (U) Although Jordanian-related document fraud is minimal, post detects a significantly higher rate of fraud related to Iraqi applications. Jordanian documents contain many fraud-resistant features and the issuing authorities are considered reliable. These factors permit an easy verification of civil documents. Post detects a low fraud rate of Jordanian primary identity documents, most likely due to the integrity of the issuing process. ¶4. (U) Iraqi documents lack Jordan's high standards of quality control for both issuance and verification of civil documents. This situation, coupled by issues relating to security and infrastructure, result in a higher incidence of document fraud among Iraqi documents than what post typically sees from Jordanian applicants. Iraqi document fraud also involves widespread counterfeiting of primary identification documents, namely passports, national IDs, and other civil documents. -------------- NIV FRAUD -------------- ¶5. (U) During this reporting period, Amman adjudicated 11,299 Nonimmigrant Visas (NIV). Of the 240 cases referred to the Fraud Prevention Unit for analysis, 172 contained at least one fraudulent document. Most Jordanian cases of fraud are limited to poor-quality bank statements, employment letters and family registration books. But we occasionally see "stowaway" members of cultural groups who are included in the group visa interview for immigration purposes only; investigations reveal these people are not bona fide member of the group. ¶6. (U) The FPU confirmed fraud in approximately half of the Iraqi cases referred to the unit for review. The fraud is a mixture of altered, counterfeit, and fraudulently-obtained documents. ¶7. (U) The K1 fiance visa category is problematic because of the cultural prohibition against single women traveling alone. To overcome the stigma, some K1 applicants marry before the interview and some even admit to being married during the interview. Post has noted a trend whereby Jordanian couples will marry in Syria in an attempt to conceal the marriage. Syria is nearby, and couples can avoid an official record of the marriage if the ceremony is not held in court. If the couples marry in Jordan, there will be an official record of the union. -------------- IV FRAUD AND DV FRAUD -------------- ¶8. (U) Amman handled 2585 IV applications during this reporting period, with Iraqi cases representing five percent of the work load. FPU detected fraud in more than 80 IV cases. Most IV fraud perpetrated by Jordanians is based on marriages for immigration purposes. One common scenario involves a Jordanian who presents a document for an apparently sham divorce in Jordan which then frees up the person to marry in America for immigration purposes. In such cases, the FPU is able to obtain evidence dating from the period of the alleged divorce indicating the petitioner has maintained the family unit in Jordan through regular visits and the birth of additional children. When the Jordanian naturalizes, s/he divorces the American, and remarries the original Jordanian spouse (who may not have known they were divorced several years earlier). Then the petitioner files for the Jordanian family to emigrate to the United States. ¶9. (U) Post also noted during this reporting period three separate cases of older American women on disability who petitioned for younger Jordanian spouses, a trend which contradicts several deeply-rooted cultural norms. After extensive interviewing, post concluded the marriages were probably bona fide, but noted the difference in motivation. Whereas the men were frank in their desire to obtain a green card and were willing to be a cordial companion of the older, disabled woman, the women appeared genuinely flattered by the attention and well-aware the marriage might be short-lived. ¶10. (U) Iraqis often present fraudulent civil documents as mentioned in paragraph six. FPU confirmed fraud in over half of the 180 IV cases referred to the unit and they range from high-quality counterfeit ID cards, to citizenship certificates, school transcripts, and civil documents - all of Iraqi origin. ¶11. (U) Regarding diversity visas, fraud among Jordanian applicants is low. On the other hand, diversity visa fraud among Iraqis is higher and often based on counterfeit documents, especially school transcripts. FPU detected five sets of fraudulent documents reportedly issued by the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq during this reporting period. -------------- ACS AND PASSPORT FRAUD -------------- ¶12. (U) Citizenship-based fraud in Amman is very low. We have only detected 3 instances where applicants have presented fraudulent tax and lease documents to bolster false claims of physical presence in America in order to justify their ability to transmit U.S. citizenship to a child. FPU referred one case to USCIS involving a person who may have naturalized fraudulently while engaged in a bigamous marriage. -------------- ADOPTION FRAUD -------------- ¶13. (U) Jordan is a Muslim country where Sharia law determines family matters. To legally adopt a child in Jordan, both parents must be practicing Muslims. Post did not detect any fraud in the two adoption visas issued during the last calendar year. -------------- USE OF DNA TESTING -------------- ¶14. (U) Post processes about 5 immigrant visa cases a year adjudicated on the basis of DNA evidence. Although post does not require DNA testing, some Iraqi applicants choose to submit DNA results as they are unable to provide timely-issued birth certificates to establish a parent-child relationship. -------------- ASYLUM AND DHS BENEFIT FRAUD -------------- ¶15. (U) USCIS has recently opened a Field Office in Amman (uscis.amman@dhs.gov). During this reporting period, USCIS reviewed 18 cases of suspected fraud and confirmed four. One case involved a person who acquired asylee status as a Palestinian, but later presented evidence of full Jordanian citizenship when he appeared for his children's follow-to-join adjudication interviews. DHS reports no cases of fraud relating to lost permanent resident cards. -------------- -------------- ALIEN SMUGGLING, TRAFFICKING, ORGANIZED CRIME, TERRORIST TRAVEL -------------- -------------- ¶16. (U) Jordan is a major transit point in the Middle East for passengers heading to Europe and North America. Passengers from around the world can select from 15 weekly direct flights to the United States. Royal Jordanian Airlines flies straight to Chicago, Detroit, and New York. Delta Airlines began non-stop service from Amman to New York in June 2008. ¶17. (U) Airline and immigration authorities at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport have intercepted altered, counterfeit and stolen blank passports from several EU countries, as well as from Turkey, South Africa, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Lesotho, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and India. Officials have also detected fraudulent European residency permits and visas. Travelers presenting questionable documents hail from countries as diverse as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, China, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Peru. -------------- DS CRIMINAL FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS -------------- ¶18. (U) Post conducted no criminal fraud investigations during this reporting period. Post is expecting the arrival of an A/RSO-I this summer. -------------- -------------- HOST COUNTRY PASSPORT, IDENTITY DOCUMENTS, AND CIVIL REGISTRY -------------- -------------- ¶19. (U) In July 2008, Jordan introduced a new K-series passport, similar to the J-series launched in May 2007. Previous passport versions remain valid until they expire. The 2008 version is machine-readable with enhanced technical specifications, but lacks biometric features. The new passport uses the same security film as the J-series, but with enhanced UV features. The new document cannot be extended when it expires. Although there are no reports of fraud involving counterfeit K-series passports, FPU has notified the Jordanian authorities regarding defects in the security film and photo security features. They are addressing the issue. ¶20. (U) Children under 16 present birth certificates and family books to obtain a passport and adults present the national ID card. Passport validity is five years. Adults pay USD28.50 and children are half price. Authorities can provide same-day issuance for in-country applications, but outside of Jordan, the wait can exceed 45 days at double the price. -------------- COOPERATION WITH HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES -------------- ¶21. (U) FPU maintains a strong relationship with Jordanian government and airport officials who routinely report fraud incidents and vulnerabilities to the embassy. Similarly, Amman's Fraud Control Group, comprised of North American and European fraud prevention officials, shares information and trends on a monthly basis, primarily focussin on Iraqi-related fraud. -------------- AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN -------------- ¶22. (U) Amman processes Special Immigrant Visas for Iraqis who have worked for the U.S. Government. Applicants have admitted to purchasing fraudulently-issued documents in their true identity because of access and security issuesn they face in Iraq. -------------- STAFFING AND TRAINING -------------- ¶23. (U) The FPU is staffed by a Foreign Service Officer Fraud Prevention Manager and one full-time LES investigator. The LES investigator has completed Department of State fraud prevention training in Washington and forensic document lab training sponsored by the Anti-Terrorism Assistance program. The consular investigator trains all incoming consular personnel and he shares his expertise with Jordanian and other fraud prevention officials in Amman and the region. BEECROFT