FRAUD TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES CONTINUE TO DISMANTLE NETWORK OF

UNCLAS CAIRO 000207

DEPT FOR CA/FPP, CA/EX, CA/OCS, DS/CR/OCI
ALSO FOR G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, NEA/RA, NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION UNITS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFRD CVIS CMGT CASC KOCI ASEC PHUM SMIG EG
SUBJECT: FRAUD TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES CONTINUE TO DISMANTLE NETWORK OF
FRAUDULENT BIRTH REGISTRATIONS

REFS: (A) CAIRO 2483 (B) CAIRO 2562


1. (SBU) Summary: This cable highlights the effective fraud tools
and techniques that have uncovered the network of fraudulent birth
registrations reported in refs (A) and (B). The Fraud Prevention
Manager (FPM) and A/RSO-I continue to use a wide variety of fraud
resources to not only identify additional cases, but develop the
information already found. Quick action by Egyptian State Security
Investigative Services (SSIS) on the information provided by the
Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU) has greatly facilitated the rapid
dismantling of this network. Currently, SSIS has arrested and
charged ten individuals (including two Amcits) and is seeking the
arrest of three more, of whom none are American citizens. The FPU
has identified the locations of two additional babies and confirmed
a case of child trafficking using nonimmigrant visas. End Summary.


The Recap
--------------


2. (SBU) To date the FPU has identified 21 cases during the past 20
years from the American Citizen Services Unit (ACS) where couples
attempted to falsely document a newborn as an American citizen. Of
those 21 cases, four couples were successful in getting their
respective newborns to the United States and then subsequently
documented as American citizens. In most cases, the newborns
traveled with Egyptian passports. In addition, the FPU has
identified one case from the nonimmigrant visa (NIV) unit where a
doctor successfully smuggled a newborn to the United States on a
non-immigrant visa. SSIS has arrested and charged two doctors, one
nun, one banker and six alleged parents, two of whom are Amcits. All
are being held awaiting trial. SSIS has closed three
clinics/hospitals, issued warrants for the arrest of another two
doctors and one individual and located five newborns in Cairo that
had been bought and sold. SSIS has indicated that the newborns have
been returned to Social Services.


The Tools
--------------


3. (SBU) The FPM and A/RSO-I have utilized all available fraud
resources and outside contacts to uncover the complexity of the
network and identify links. Arrival and departure information for
the child traffickers from the Egyptian Civil Affairs Authority
(CAA) helped pinpoint dates of travel. Crosschecking that
information with the flight manifests available in the Arrival and
Departure Information System (ADIS) of DHS confirmed the travel on
the same flight of an identified trafficker, his alleged newborn and
individuals from another separate bogus CRBA case. CAA also provided
the full names and dates of birth for individuals in old ACS files
that registered bogus births. Using that information with
Lexis/Nexis helped identify the locations of couples who had
successfully smuggled a newborn to the United States. Finally, the
FPM and A/RSO-I met with the fraud prevention representatives of
Western embassies to brief them on the case. Afterwards, the
Canadian Embassy undertook a comprehensive review of almost 300
cases, identifying about a dozen that were suspect and subsequently
referring those to SSIS.



The NIV case
--------------


4. (SBU) The FPU has been able to identify one case where the baby
trafficking network has utilized NIVs to get newborns to the United
States. In this particular case, a 50-year old doctor who had been
previously identified in two separate ACS cases as falsely attesting
to delivering babies, applied for a visa with his alleged newborn.
The doctor claimed to be traveling without his wife to visit a
Coptic priest in the United States. When the wife was questioned by
SSIS, she claimed she knew nothing of a newborn although she was
listed on the birth certificate. In addition, ADIS checks confirmed
that this doctor and newborn were on the same flight with a couple
who, six months previously, had been unsuccessful in an attempt to
falsely document a newborn in ACS. The FPU continues to review NIV
records for other possible similar cases. In addition, a set of
parameters has been passed to the CCD Adhoc team with a request for
reports on NIV, IV and DV cases to determine whether other newborns
have traveled to the United States based on fraudulent documents.

SCOBEY