Counterfeits found repeatedly at International Mail Facility in Chicago.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have seized fraudulent documents in over 1,500 shipments at the International Mail Facility in O’Hare airport during the first six months of 2020. More than 19,000 counterfeit drivers’ licenses were in these illegal packages, most of which were sent from China or Hong Kong, though some arrived from South Korea and Great Britain.
Acting CBP Port Director in Chicago, Ralph Piccirilli, said the counterfeit IDs are very realistic and mostly made for those in their twenties. “These counterfeit driver’s licenses can lead to disastrous consequences,” he stated. “Criminal organizations use these counterfeit IDs to avoid attracting attention to their illegal activities.”
Timothy Lemaux, CBP Port Director in Dallas-Ft. Worth said, “What is most disconcerting about these interceptions, besides the volume in which we are experiencing, is the ease in which so many young people freely share their personal information with counterfeiters abroad.” CBP officers in the Dallas area have been working with universities to make students aware of the dangers of providing their personal information online to obtain a fake license.
Louisville, Kentucky Port Director Thomas Mahn stated, “Some of the major concerns as it relates to fraudulent identity documents is identity theft, worksite enforcement, critical infrastructure protection, fraud linked to immigration-related crimes such as human smuggling and human trafficking, and these documents can be used by those individuals associated with terrorism to minimize scrutiny from travel screening measures.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers as they work to stop fraud and criminal activity.
- For Acting Secretary Chad Wolf as he leads the Department of Homeland Security.
- For wisdom for U.S. students who could unwittingly enable identity theft and criminal behavior.
Sources: CBP.gov, Fox News
