FRAUD SUMMARY - CAIRO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CAIRO 000426 SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/FPP AND NEA/ELA DEPT ALSO PASS TO KCC; POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION MANAGERS ATHENS FOR DHS/ICE AND DHS/CIS; ROME FOR DHS/ICE, DHS/CIS, AND DHS/CBP; NEA/ELA FOR D. MCNICHOLAS; CA/FPP FOR S. SEXTON E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC EG SUBJECT: FRAUD SUMMARY - CAIRO Refs: (A) 08 STATE 074840 (B) 08 CAIRO 2483 (C) 08 CAIRO 2562 (D) 09 CAIRO 207 The following report is keyed to ref (A),paras 1-7 not needed: ¶8. COUNTRY CONDITIONS: Widespread poverty and a lack of perceived economic prospects drive a significant number of Egyptians to look for opportunity outside of their homeland. Boatloads of Egyptians have been intercepted traveling north across the Mediterranean towards Europe. Such economic migrants make up a significant percentage of our visa workload, reflected in our NIV refusal rates and our significant DV and IV workloads. While the Egyptian economy has begun to recover under a serious government reform program, many areas of the country outside of Cairo and Alexandria are still in abject poverty. In addition, inter-religious tension, along with economic concerns and the pull factor of sizeable Egyptian Christian communities in the United States and elsewhere, has caused some Coptic Christians to seek to leave the country, particularly those living in the Nile Valley cities of Minya, Sohag, and Assiut, and in areas of Alexandria. Though they are estimated at no more than 10% of the population, we believe that the overwhelming majority of our DV applicants are Copts. These are generally issuable cases, as applicants usually hold a genuine high school diploma. The computerization and centralization of civil documents in the Civil Affairs Administration (CAA) in Cairo greatly facilitated our ability to verify birth, death, marriage, and divorce records. Furthermore, the Immigration Authority keeps thorough records of travel for all Egyptians - including entry and exit dates and destinations - since 1992. The overall level of fraud at post is medium. ¶9. NIV FRAUD: Religious workers and business/tourist travelers represent the bulk of the NIV fraud at post. With regards to the former, the period immediately preceding the start of Ramadan is the peak season for Muslim preachers, imams, to travel to the United States at the invitation of US-based mosques to lead congregations in Ramadan prayers. The FPU routinely verifies the bonafides of the mosque invitations and has found several cases of misrepresentation and alien smuggling. These cases are referred to the A/RSO-I for further investigation. Regarding business/tourist travelers, fraud has centered on the presentation of bogus documents in order to enhance eligibility for the visa. The majority of the applicants have been possible economic immigrants. However, the FPU has routinely been alerted by line officers to cases of applicants with direct DPT 00 hits. These cases are referred to the A/RSO-I for further investigation. ¶10. IV FRAUD: The bulk of Post's fraud investigations involve IV applications. Instances of IR1 and CR1 marital fraud continue unabated, with often vulnerable American Citizen women meeting Egyptian men over internet chat-rooms and then coming to Egypt for a hasty marriage. In the past, the American Citizen would then normally have filed a CR1 petition at post. Despite the fact that all I-130 petitions are filed with USCIS, there hasn't been any overall diminishment in the volume of such suspect marriage cases. ¶11. DV FRAUD: The majority of fraud with DV focuses on the bonafides of the educational and employment qualifications of applicants. In the past, FPU has uncovered scams involving bogus employment letters for work as a professional potter, a qualification that would make the applicant eligible for a diversity visa. Historically, DV cases from Sudan have had a high level of fraud with regards to documents such as fake high school degrees. However, relationship fraud among Sudanese IV applicants is generally low. ¶12. ACS AND PASSPORT FRAUD: Imposter fraud is rare occurring once or twice a year with close family members attempting to use a US passport that is not theirs. The FPU recently uncovered a baby trafficking network that was reported in refs (B) through (C). Stretching back at least 20 years, the ACS had refused CRBAs and passports to couples who claimed they were the biological parents, but were in fact attempting to circumvent adoption law. ¶13. ADOPTION FRAUD: Formal adoption is nearly impossible in Egypt. In addition, gaining legal custody of an abandoned child in a State-run orphanage is impossible for non-Muslim couples and couples where neither parent has any family links to Egypt. ¶14. USE OF DNA TESTING: The IV unit regards Somali, Eritrean and, to CAIRO 00000426 002 OF 003 a lesser extent, Sudanese documents with a high degree of suspicion, often resorting to DNA tests - especially with Eritreans and Somalis - to establish the presence of genetic family ties. ¶15. ASYLUM AND OTHER DHS BENEFITS FRAUD: The FPU receives requests for investigative assistance with asylum cases and other DHS directed cases. Among the documents forwarded for review are medical reports, certificates of education or experience and proof of identity. Many of these documents have been forgeries. ¶16. ALIEN SMUGGLING, TRAFFICKING, ORGANIZED CRIME AND TERRORIST TRAVEL: Egypt is a destination and transit country for sub-Saharan African refugees, asylum seekers, and economic migrants. In 2008, there was an increase in the number of Africans transiting the Sinai region of Egypt-with the help of local Bedouin smugglers-to illegally enter Israel, in search of better economic opportunities. The Government of Egypt has arrested and imprisoned hundreds of Africans for trying to illegally cross the border, and has shot and killed twenty three Africans during attempts to cross the border. Women and children are trafficked within Egypt for commercial sexual exploitation. Children are also forced into domestic and agricultural servitude, but the extent to which internal trafficking occurs is unknown. ¶17. DS CRIMINAL FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS: As of August 2007, an ARSO-I has been assigned to the Consular Section. The ARSO-I reports directly to the Consul General and the RSO. The ARSO-I works closely with the Fraud Prevention Manager (FPM) to review all cases referred to the Fraud Prevention Unit for investigation. The ARSO-I and the FPM co-supervise two FSN investigators and one FSN fraud administrative clerk and work with local authorities to have cases investigated and prosecuted. Cases with a U.S. or international nexus are given to Diplomatic Security for investigation. The ARSO-I is the RSO and Consular Section's liaison with other law enforcement entities at Post and assists with various inter agency investigations of mutual interest. ARSO-I works with FPM to enter fraud related lookouts and watch phrases into CCD. The ARSO-I also assists Consular with conducting criminal record checks and verifying wants and warrants of passport and visa applicants and other fugitives in country. The ARSO-I and the FPM share fraud case information with the ICE Visa Security Unit and other relevant agencies at Post. ARSO-I and the FPM are part of the Homeland Security Working Group and meet regularly with ICE VSU and other agencies. The ARSO-I and the FPM investigated 274 visa and 14 passport cases that were referred to the Fraud Prevention Unit between September 2008 and February 2009. Confirmed fraud was found in 33 cases with 19 cases being referred to local authorities for further investigation and arrests. The ARSO-I and the FPM routinely share the outcomes of FPU-referred cases to the originating consular officer in weekly meetings and daily emails. ¶18. HOST COUNTRY PASSPORT, IDENTITY DOCUMENTS AND CIVIL REGISTRY: In March 2008, Egypt introduced a new, state-of-the-art, machine readable, photo digitized passport. The new passport incorporates material from eight different EU countries. The new passport is currently being issued only in Cairo, but plans are to expand to Alexandria during 2009. Egypt also issues state-of-the-art national ID cards that incorporate several security features. The issuance of both the ID card and the passport are tightly controlled. In addition, as a result of the computerization and centralization of civil documents in the Civil Affairs Administration in Cairo five years ago, birth, death, marriage, and divorce records are easily verifiable and under close and constant control. ¶19. COOPERATION WITH HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES: Cairo FPU enjoys excellent working-level cooperation with host government authorities, including Egyptian state security, immigration and civil affairs officials, Egypt Air managers, and the central document lab. ¶20. AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN: As a result of the FPU investigation of the baby trafficking ring reported in refs (B) through (D),post has found that it is extremely easy for a couple to have a genuine Egyptian birth certificate issued based only on a handwritten note from a doctor. In addition, with the birth certificate a valid Egyptian passport can be issued. Finally, the Health Offices that issue the birth certificates do not keep the letters of the doctors. CAIRO 00000426 003 OF 003 Because of the concern regarding malafide travelers from and through Cairo, many western countries have an Airport Liaison Officer (ALO) stationed at Cairo's airport. The United Kingdom, France, Austria, Germany and Canada all have (ALOs) at the airport. However, resource constraints have prevented the FPU from dedicating one, full-time staff member to the airport. In addition, no other US agency maintains a presence at the airport. As a result, the FPU has had to rely on the above ALOs for information on malafide travelers at the airport. Currently, Delta and Egypt Air operate daily direct flights to New York's JFK airport. SCOBEY