VZCZCXRO7445
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #0426/01 0711137
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121137Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1850
RUEHPNH/NVC PORTSMOUTH 2090
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0291
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1630
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 1259

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