Phony Passports: The Very Real Threat Surrounding The Abuse Of Travel Documents

A recent news report dated Friday, June 11th, 2010 tells of an event that occurred in the country of Dubai

. An Israeli official entered this country illegally by using a forged U.S. passport with the intention to assassinate Mahmoud el Mabhouh. As a result of this illegal entry, his mission was successful.

In Ireland, the government issued a statement asking Israel to, "withdraw a designated member of its staff" from their embassy in Ireland. Ireland is the third country to ask Israeli diplomats to leave, in addition to Britain and Australia. Here's the story: The Israeli secret police, collectively called the Mossad, entered Dubai using forged passports that were inextricably tied back to forging by the government of Israel. In addition to fake Irish passports, fake Australian and British passports were also used. Mabhouh, the victim of the assassination, was claimed by Israel to be the person in charge of the smuggling of weapons from Iran into the Gaza Strip.

The entire world is being plagued with the effects of forged passports and the identity theft that these stolen documents perpetrate. This is not just a problem in the United States but it has infected countries world wide. This problem has made it evident that stronger, more enforceable regulations and safeguards must be put into place to reduce and hopefully eliminate the crime of falsification of passports. Thieves are using these to steel identities, open fraudulent bank accounts and, as in this case, even taking a life. This crime also provides cover for those who seek to import weapons into a country under the cover of a false identity.

By simply typing in "forged passport" into a search engine, you get websites offering to make fake IDs of all kinds. Videos and blogs help kids fabricate fake IDs. Even the RFID chips inside pass ports - installed in order to provide increased security - can be "hacked" and duplicated.

While a legal passport in the hands of an honest citizen can provide the opportunity for international travel, in the hands of a criminal, a forged passport is a passport to crime and trouble. If you can't locate your passport and suspect it may have been stolen, it is imperative that you contact the Nearest Passport Agency as soon as possible so it can be cancelled. You should also contact the local police and file a report, providing as much information as you can to enable them to, if possible, locate the perpetrators.

Passports are supposed to be a tool to help people connect as a global community, bringing the people of the world together and allowing them to interact to promote tolerance and peace. When passports are being forged and people are dying because of it, it has pretty much the opposite effect, to say the least. Make sure you're buying and renewing your passports with a reputable and dependable online passport service or in person at a passport agency. Imitators exist that will try to sell you counterfeit passports, meaning you could unknowingly become a victim of passport fraud. Also, keep your passports in a safe location, both at home and when traveling. These are just a few things you can do in order to help reduce the occurrence of episodes like the one in Dubai.

by: Ben Pate

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