Can a Passport Be Fake?

can a passport be fake

Can a Passport Be Fake?

Answering the question “can a passport be fake” depends entirely on its intended use and who is purchasing it. For instance, terrorists might purchase counterfeit passports to travel into another country to carry out an attack; but other groups, including displaced migrants or even high-ranking members of Islamic State (IS), also purchase them to bypass detection and facilitate travel around the globe.

After the Paris terror attacks, passport security has received renewed scrutiny. In particular, the European Union has strengthened its visa-waiver program for countries suspected of supporting terrorist activity while increasing investment into detecting and blocking fake passports.

Attracting more scrutiny has not prevented people from seeking to bypass the law by purchasing and using fake passports, however. Such efforts have become more sophisticated; an Uzbek man reportedly boasted that his counterfeits feature genuine security watermarks and holograms when selling his wares to terrorists.

He also serves a large client base of Afghan refugees living in Turkey who wish to escape Islamic State (IS), purchasing multiple passports that they change frequently for each flight or transfer.

If you or someone you know has been charged with Passport Fraud or Visa Fraud, an experienced Federal criminal defense attorney can help. Such offenses fall under several white collar crimes such as mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy and perjury and require expert legal advice in order to defend them effectively.