FRAUD SUMMARY: ISLAMABAD

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 002819

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR CA/FPP, DHS FOR CIS/FDNS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC PKST
SUBJECT: FRAUD SUMMARY: ISLAMABAD

REF: 09 STATE 057623

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Country Conditions
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1. Pakistan Fraud Summary: Pakistan is considered a "high" fraud
country. Fraud of every kind is pervasive at all levels of
government and commercial sectors. Fraud surfaces in many different
forms, including washed U.S. visas of good to excellent quality;
forged documents such as post-secondary educational certificates and
credentials; employment verification letters; false family
relationships with cousins posing as offspring; fictitious
engagements, marriages, and divorces; false identity; multiple
identities; erroneous employment histories; and false and misleading
relationships intended for the sole purpose of gaining the benefits
of U.S. immigration. Genuine official documents can be easily
obtained through fraudulent means which contributes to the
difficulty in identifying, abating, or eliminating fraud in both the
immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing.


2. Pakistan, traditionally considered an impoverished and
underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal
political disputes, low levels of foreign investment, an ongoing
low-level confrontation with neighboring India and, more recently,
an insurgency led by al-Qaeda and the Taliban in the tribal areas
bordering Afghanistan. Inflation remains the top concern among the
public, although it has dropped to around 10% after hovering well
over 20% in 2008 and early 2009 in response to high world fuel and
commodity prices. In addition, the Pakistani rupee has depreciated
significantly as a result of political and economic instability.
Close to 70 percent of Pakistanis live on two dollars a day or
less.

3. Due to the security situation at post, the Fraud Prevention
Manager (FPM) usually does not accompany Fraud Prevention Unit
Locally-engaged staff, aka Fraud Analysts (FAs),on site visits.
Due to this unique situation, FPU attempts to resolve cases from the
office as much as possible. This involves using Lexis-Nexis
Accurint checks and extended fraud interviews with beneficiaries as
well as petitioners. Whenever site visits are necessary, FAs take
written statements, and photographs. For their own security, FAs do
not use their real names when interacting with the public and, like
FSNs throughout the section, use aliases.

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NIV Fraud
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4. C1/D crew visas - Widespread fraud in the international shipping
industry in Pakistan prompted the Consular Section in Islamabad to
more closely scrutinize the applications for crew/seaman visas. As
a result, Post instituted the requirement that all manning agencies
must provide an original letter with details of the applicant, the
manning agency, and the hiring ship line. Shipping companies are
also required to submit direct e-mail or phone verification of the
identity of the C1/D applicant.


5. H1-B temporary worker visas - Post has seen an increase in the
number of H and L visa applicants especially in the IT and
telecommunications industry. Temporary worker fraud has consequently
also increased. FPU primarily reviews educational transcripts,
contract letters, and professional certificates associated with
temporary worker visas. Thanks to H and L Funding, FPU implemented
a program to authenticate all degrees for H1-B and L1 applicants.
Authenticating diplomas and transcripts with universities in
Pakistan is difficult because the diplomas are often obtained
fraudulently from university employees. By contracting with the
Pakistani Higher Education Commission (HEC),all diplomas will be
authenticated by the Federal Government of Pakistan. HEC has
already resulted in the refusal and eventual recommendation for
revocation of H1B visa petitions and a possible lead into an
investigation of a fraudulent H1B company petitioner. FPU works
with line officers, DHS, and KCC FPU to file the appropriate
revocation reports.


6. There are document vendors in many places selling fraudulent job
letters, degrees, invitation letters, fake US visas, and coaching
applicants to provide fraudulent answers for the NIV interview.
Post has noted a larger amount of documents from certain vendors
located in the city of Lahore and is working with local Pakistani
authorities to apprehend some of these Lahore vendors. Through CCD
text-searches, catches by US Customs and Border Patrol, and
old-fashioned interviewing, Post has learned that applicants
sometimes pay up to USD 20,000 for a set of NIV-supporting
documents.

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IV Fraud
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7. The biggest fraud challenges continue to be in IVs with marriage
fraud. The typical marriage fraud pattern is: A Pakistani man
obtains an NIV, leaves his wife and children and goes to the U.S.
where he marries an American woman. The Pakistani man presents
either a divorce decree or death certificate for the Pakistani wife
thereby allowing him to re-marry. As the step-parent, the Amcit
wife then files IV petitions for the husband's children.
Approximately 85 percent of the step-parent petitioner IV cases
referred to FPU are found fraudulent through field investigations.


8. Marriages arranged by the family are common, so it is typical in
a bona fide spousal relationship for a petitioner and beneficiary to
be first cousins, to have first met in person the same day as their
wedding ceremony, and to have little or no knowledge about each
other. Unfortunately, fraudulent relationships share many of the
same characteristics. Therefore, FPU Islamabad is more effective
when uncovering IV fraud if either party was previously married but
FPU discovers that the petitioner or beneficiary maintains an
ongoing spouse-like relationship with his/her 'former' spouse.


9. In verifying divorces, it is important to note that in Pakistan,
the divorced woman must leave her ex-husband's home and rarely if
ever is granted formal custody or even visitation of the children.
The woman must break all ties to the ex-husband and his family
including relationships with in-laws and extended relatives. In the
majority of our field investigations of divorce cases, we discover
that the purported 'former' wife is still living in the husband's
home, is being financially supported by him, is taking care of the
children, and by all appearances, is still married. Through
neighborhood interviews, it is revealed that when the husband visits
from the U.S., he stays with the wife in the family home and, in
fact, still has a spouse-like relationship.


10. Marriages and divorces with the intent of immigration are
colloquially referred to as "paper marriages" or "paper divorces"
and it is understood (at least by the beneficiaries) that the
ultimate goal is immigration. We have often found that the
left-behind Pakistani wife is totally unaware that she has been
divorced (or claimed dead) and her husband has married an American
citizen.


11. Another type of marriage fraud seen frequently in Pakistan
occurs in K1, F2B, and F1 cases, where applicants declare that they
are not married when, in fact, they are. Due to the lack of a
centralized record system in Pakistan, it is extremely difficult to
investigate these cases. If an extended fraud interview does not
result in a confession, then neighborhood checks are required to
direct us to the local government records office that issued the
marriage certificate. Approximately fifty percent of F2B
investigations have resulted in confirmed fraud.

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DV Visa Fraud
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12. Pakistan no longer qualifies for the Diversity Visa program.
However, Post does administer the DV program for Afghanistan and
interviews a small number of other third country nationals. The FPU
has been involved in determining eligibility of DV applicants
particularly in verifying educational and professional
certifications that DV applicants use to show completion of
secondary studies. Afghan applicants present a particular challenge
because of the near complete breakdown in bureaucratic record
keeping over the past thirty years as well as the security situation
in Afghanistan. Additionally, many Afghan applicants have spent
many years in Pakistan as refugees, without obtaining citizenship
rights from Pakistan. FPU has been able to develop relationships
with officials in Peshawar and other border areas that have made DV
eligibility easier to determine.

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ACS and Passport Fraud
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13. A range of fraud indicators are still active in Pakistan
affecting requests for reports of birth abroad, U.S. passport, and
repatriation. FPU conducts field checks for ACS, but it remains the
responsibility of the individual seeking assistance to provide
convincing and sufficient evidence of his/her entitlements.


14. Post is not able to rely solely upon Pakistani hospital records,
government-issued birth certificates, or private attestations and
affidavits. Such documents are not routinely issued at the time of
the event and may be easily purchased for a fee. Recently, FPU
uncovered a fraudulent hospital record where although an authentic
hospital certificate was issued and the subject's name was found in
the hospital logbook, there was no corresponding record in the
hospital registry. In this particular case, it was discovered that
the child, in fact, was born at another hospital before the Amcit
parent's naturalization.


15. In addition, Post does not rely on entry/exit stamps in
passports as proof of physical presence because fraudulent stamps
can be easily purchased or reproduced in Pakistan. Post also has
seen a trend of fraudulent birth certificates for several purposes,
such as: a child born before a parent obtained citizenship, a
nephew/niece passed off as a child, or a child born 12-15 months
from the time the father last saw the mother.

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Adoption Fraud
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16. Adoption does not exist in Pakistan law. A court may grant
Guardianship; however this is different from an adoption for many
reasons, including the fact that the legal relationship only exists
as long as the child is a minor. Post frequently sees "Adoption
Decrees" issued on rupee paper (a yellow legal sized paper with an
intricate design at the top). These are not legal documents and can
be purchased anywhere in the country. Therefore, post does not issue
IR3 visas.


17. Post does issue IR4 Orphan visas. Due to the lack of any
centralized record system, it is almost impossible to determine if a
child meets the definition of an orphan. Children are usually
reported to have been abandoned at hospitals or at the local
orphanage. Neither is willing to release any information about the
parent who left the child, even if they are aware of it.


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Use of DNA Testing
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18. Post notes recent cable 09 State 097431, Changes to DNA
Relationship Testing Procedures and is adhering to the procedures
outlined. Post does DNA verification of approximately four
immigrant visa cases a week.

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Asylum and Other DHS Benefits
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19. When they were still present at post, USCIS handled the
adjudication of visas 92/93, other asylum claims, and follow-to-join
cases. Islamabad's IV unit has taken over these responsibilities.
Before, USCIS reported significant requests for document
verification and relationship fraud consistent with fraud reported
with IV applicants. Islamabad's IV unit has seen no change.

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Alien Smuggling, Trafficking, Organized Crime, Terrorist Travel
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20. As traditional alien smuggling routes through Western Europe are
closing, Pakistanis are seeking to take advantage of lax immigration
controls to open new routes through Eastern Europe, Central Asia,
Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. Post and other foreign
missions, notably the British, have seen cases of boarding card
swapping through Dubai, Bangkok, Kuwait, Jeddah, Singapore, Taipei,
and elsewhere.


21. Afghans, Chinese, Bangladeshis and other nationalities continue
to rely on Pakistani expertise in immigrant smuggling and document
forgery. Most of the illegal aliens being brought into and out of
Pakistan by smuggling rings have the United States or the United
Kingdom as their final destination. Alien smuggling to these
countries transiting Mozambique and South Africa appears to be on
the rise.


22. At the airport, Immigration officers of Pakistan's Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA) are bribed regularly to stamp fake exit
and entry stamps in passports. Passport-issuing offices in Pakistan
are unable to verify supporting documents to a claimed identity.
FIA is aware of the problem yet finds itself at a loss to garner
adequate governmental support and resources to crack down on and
strike an effective blow at fraud and misrepresentation associated
with human smuggling and trafficking in persons.

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DS Criminal Fraud Investigations
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23. Post's A/RSO-I has had some success in liaising with the
Pakistani Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). This resulted in a
number of local arrests of applicants determined to have counterfeit
Pakistani identity documents. However, in some cases in which Post
presented FIA with evidence of confirmed document and/or identity
fraud by a visa applicant, Post later encountered the applicant
submitting a different visa application and/or using a different
identity. The applicants informed Post that they had simply bribed
FIA to escape any possible criminal convictions that may have
resulted from their first visa application. Despite these
disheartening facts, the A/RSO-I and FPM continues to work with FIA
as it is the only available party with authority Post can turn to
for local law enforcement.

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Host Country ID Records
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24. Pakistan has implemented a National Database and Registration
Authority (NADRA),which maintains a centralized computer system.
NADRA issues the Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) which
is the primary form of national identification for Pakistani
citizens. They also issue birth certificates and are expanding into
death, marriage and divorce certificates. While NADRA documents are
more difficult to counterfeit, they are created at the local Union
Councils and a person only needs an easily obtained local government
document in order to be issued a NADRA document. It will also take
several generations before most Pakistanis will have these
documents.


25. The CNIC is known to be susceptible to counterfeiting. It was
discovered that a Swiss-based competitor to the company which
supplied the printing technology to NADRA either produced or
supplied the technology to produce the counterfeit NADRA card used
by one of the terrorists of the 03Mar2009 attack on the Sri Lankan
Cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan.

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Cooperation with Host Government
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26. Pakistani officials realize the importance of fraud prevention
and have taken significant public steps in the last five years to
improve the integrity of their own documents. Officials in the
Foreign and Interior Ministries have usually been cooperative when
approached by Post, especially when fraud is detected involving
Pakistani documents. Most relationship based documents are issued
by local government authorities (Union Councils and Union Council
Secretaries). Verification is difficult because there is little
oversight of these authorities, record keeping is done manually or
not at all, and all verifications must be done in person. In some
cases, the Secretaries of the Union Councils have been outright
uncooperative. FPU has had a few cases in which beneficiary claimed
to be married, a check with the Secretary of an Union Council
seemingly confirmed the claim, but a further check with the
supervisor of the Union Council Secretary (the designated Additional
Director Local Government (ADLG)) revealed that, in fact, there was
no such record and that the Secretary of the Union Council was
bribed, is a close relative of beneficiary, or both.


27. FPU works closely with the High Commissions of Australia,
Britain Canada, and South Africa, holding quarterly meetings of
fraud officers to exchange information. In addition, monthly
meetings are held between fraud officers in most Embassies to
discuss fraud trends in the region. These meetings have afforded
our LES, FPM and RSO the opportunity to make important contacts from
other diplomatic missions and to compare and contrast fraud trends
and techniques which are specific to each mission.

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Areas of Particular Concern
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28. Given the poverty-stricken conditions of many families
purportedly "abandoning" orphans and the amount of fees many
American families pay for the service, FPU recognizes the potential
for baby-selling in Pakistan. Furthermore, Post has seen an
unprecedented growth in IR-4 Orphan cases and will immediately
develop strategies to determine if baby-selling is occurring and if
so, to deter it. FPU Pakistan has reached out to other posts with
similar concerns and will be developing strategies to discover and
combat such fraud.ACS and FPU have been and will be meeting with
local individuals involved with the adoption process. FPU has
already asked for and received guidance on adoption investigations
from FPU Ho Chi Minh City.


29. H1Bs continue to be an area of particular concern. H and L
funding has been approved for exchanges to ConGen Chennai. FPU
Islamabad hopes to send most, if not all, of its staff to ConGen
Chennai to learn from Chennai's impressive FPU operations.


30. In addition to the immigration concern associated with typical
FPUs, FPU Islamabad has an unforeseen security role. Islamabad FPU
receives at least 15 informant letters, emails, or calls a week
alleging particular applicants to be associated with terrorist
organizations. The vast majority of these "poison pens" can be
dismissed with no credible information to build an investigation
from and/or no informant's contact information for FPU to inquire
further with. However, FPU does take each possible informant
seriously and checks with the appropriate counterparts at post
regarding any possible threat. Any case with a credible security
concern has been passed to the A/RSO-I.

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Staffing and Training
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31. FPU has been integrating Accurint into its FPU processing.
Although Accurint is a powerful tool, officers and locally engaged
staff alike were not familiar with what manner of information
Accurint provides. With minimal time spent in educating staff,
Accurint is now a routine tool referred to by line officers and FAs
cutting down significantly the number of cases requiring site
visits.


32. Staff and Training. Names of locally engaged staff Fraud
Analysts can be requested as well as any other inquiries can be sent
via email to the Unit's group email at IslamabadFPU@state.gov

Fraud Prevention Manager: Frank Tu
Fraud Prevention Manager Course, June 2009

Senior Locally Engaged Staff (LES) Fraud Analyst
FSN Anti Fraud Course, November 1999
Supervisory Skills Workshop, April 2000
FSN Fraud Prevention Course, November 2003

Fraud LES Analyst
FSN Fraud Prevention Course, November 2005

Fraud LES Fraud Analyst
Enrolled for the FSN Fraud Prevention Course, November 2009

Fraud Prevention Assistant and Office Assistant



PATTERSON