Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09AMMAN1260
2009-06-04 12:18:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

FRAUD SUMMARY - JORDAN

Tags:  KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC JO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0008
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #1260/01 1551218
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041218Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5221
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0010
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
------------------

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