Linden documents: what can threaten buying fakes in the US

In the US, you can buy any document. Fraudsters fake passports, green cards, social security numbers, not to mention fake IDs and driving licenses. ForumDaily found out what threatens sellers and buyers of fakes.

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Driving license per thousand

Russian woman Tatyana (name changed) came to the USA from Perm in 2013. Now she rents a room in the Russian section of Brooklyn. At home, the woman worked as a cosmetologist. When problems with money began, I decided to leave for America. I received a tourist visa and went to New York. When the visa expired, she remained in the States illegally. However, this status does not prevent Tatyana from earning a living.

“I wanted to buy a used car. The Russian salesman said that I needed to get a driver's license. I was embarrassed to say that I was an illegal immigrant, and began to think about what to do,” the woman shares her story with ForumDaily.

On the Internet, Tatiana found an ad in which they practically offered to make fake driver's licenses and an identity card. She called the specified phone number.

“The man promised in broken English that they would do everything. They don’t have a website, the man offered to show samples of documents on the spot and sent the address of the office where they prepare the documents,” says the woman.

It turned out that the underground laboratory is located in borough Queens. Where exactly the office is located, Tatyana refused to specify. She was met by two men. For a fake driver's license asked for a thousand dollars.

“They showed what the rights would look like. Everything looked solid. The licenses were of the old type - as if I had received them several years ago. They said that my license would be “valid” until 2019. For production it was necessary to leave a 50% advance payment, but I was afraid and offered $100. They agreed,” recalls Tatyana.

In the laboratory, a woman filled out a questionnaire with personal data and was photographed. The very next day, she took the fake document and handed over the remaining $ 900.

“I've been in a car for half a year. I do not know what will happen next, but the police have never stopped me. Sellers are right I was told that my ID number is in the database. Let's hope so. Here it is not like in Moscow, where patrols are standing at every corner. So, without breaking the rules, I calmly drive a car, ”she summed up.

Supply and demand for Brighton Beach

The most famous Russian district of New York, Brighton Beach, has long been famous as a place where you can find everything. Including, according to rumors, and fake documents. As a journalistic experiment, ForumDaily tried to buy an ID card there.

The search began with Russian stores. After several unsuccessful attempts, we are finally prompted to contact the photo salons. In one of them, hesitated, but said that they did not. But in another, on Brighton Beach Avenue, we finally found what we were looking for.

Photo studio, whose employees told us where you can make an identity card. Photo by Denis Cheredov

An employee of the salon met us with a smile and immediately wondered how she could help. We explain that we want to buy an identity card. The woman, without batting an eye, says: “Yes, we can do this.” In the course of the conversation, it turned out that it’s still not a question of faking the state identification card (ID), but of some other plastic certificate remotely resembling a work permit.

“We make cards, but this is not a state ID,” warns the salon worker. - Although we call such cards an identity card. You just need to fill out the form, indicate your last name, first name, date and year of birth, eye color, hair color and the address you want.”

You can take a photo on the spot. Issue price: $33. In the course of further conversation, the photo salon employee admits that this certificate has no official force. The salon calls it an “Emergency photo card for residents.” Neither banks, nor hospitals, nor stores, nor any other institutions, accept them. At the same time, the woman convinced that many visitors buy such cards.

These are the cards offered at Brighton Beach. Photo: Denis Cheredov

To our question: what then, exactly, does this card give? — the salon employee answered evasively: “Some guys bought beer. But I don’t know if you can buy alcohol with our card.”

However, visitors who do not know what the original document looks like may well accept such plastic cards as an identity card.

The Internet is a paradise for illegal immigrants

The Internet is flooded with offers to create fake ID cards that closely resemble the original. Three years ago, New York authorities began issuing new driver's licenses with special protection due to an increase in the number of counterfeits. However, as it turned out, buying new rights on the gray market is also not a problem.

ForumDaily has contacted several companies that offer fake documents on the Internet. Funers responded instantly. WITH one of the sites the answer came in Russian, although the text looked more like Google translation. The person who answered introduced himself as Denis. For a set of false documents (social security number, American passport, birth certificate, ID, driver's license) he asked for 3400 euros. As it turns out, they run an underground business in Spain, which is why the price is in euros. He asks to transfer money to an account also opened in Europe.

The answer we received from the employee of the company.

We ask Denis to obtain a New York State driver's license. He quickly agrees and convinces: there is no need to worry about the authenticity of the document - he will supposedly enter the license number into the police database, and there will be no problems. It will cost 450 euros. They promised to produce a fake in 6 working days. They were supposed to take her straight home.

Other company, which sells counterfeit documents, offers to make ID cards and driver's licenses for many states except New York. For example, Alaska or sunny Florida licenses are available. Price range - from $30 to 1000.

For just $ 60, fake international rights are sold.

The registered office of this company is registered in the Philippines.

Some scammers feel so unpunished that they calmly upload advertising videos to the network. On them, they demonstrate a finished product: fake rights or green cards.

Severe punishment

According to the laws of the United States, the production and falsification of government documents is equated by severity to the sale and distribution of drugs, says lawyer Tatyana Gendelman.

“We can say that those who produce such documents on a large scale are the same as drug dealers. Therefore, the punishment will be severe,” she warns.

According to Gendelman, such a crime can be imprisoned for a term of 5 to 20 years. Or maybe for 100 years. Often in such cases, a double-jeopardy scheme is used: the offender first serves time on federal charges, and then he can be convicted on a state indictment.

A person can also go to prison for using a fake.

Lawyer Tanya Gendelman. Photos from the personal archive

“In the state of New York, for example, using a false driver’s license is punishable by 15 days to a year in prison,” warns lawyer Gendelman.

If an illegal is caught with a fake green card, he faces deportation and a ban on entering the country for 10 years or even forever.

“If a person is in the United States legally, but is accused of using a false green card, then they potentially face prison and deportation. It all depends on the specific charges. The time frame can be different: from several months to two years,” warns Tatyana Gendelman.

The services of lawyers in a situation where a person is caught with false documents cost a lot of money - it is quite difficult to win the case. The cost of services can range from $10 to $30 thousand, says lawyer Evgeniy Meltser. He lives and works in Illinois. There, for using a fake identity card, you can end up behind bars for a term of 1 to 3 years, and for using a fake green card, you can get deported for life, but before that you will have to serve another three years in prison.

He is mainly approached by Russian-speaking clients for help in obtaining political asylum. Some of them come with false documents. A lawyer can immediately identify a fake visa or a fake green card. In such cases, he conducts a preventive conversation with clients - he has no right to call the police.

With fakes - for social assistance

Specialists of state structures also easily identify forgeries. But despite this, they often come to people with fakes who want to receive social benefits.

Boris Feldman, employee Department of Population Assistance in New York, arrived from Moscow to the USA back in the early 90's. He often caught the hand of violators who were trying to get benefits on fake green cards. Most of these, he says, are Hispanic. Visitors from the countries of the former Soviet Union are few, but they also come across.

So, last year, a native of Ukraine, Dmitri, came to receive Feldman. As an identification card showed a green card.

“The photo on it was sort of pasted on top. And the card itself is so neat and smooth,” says a department employee.

Boris called his colleagues, and they all came to the conclusion that the green card was fake. Dmitry admitted that he bought the pseudo-document on the Internet for $500. Officials drew up a report on the seizure of the fake document and transferred the case to a special Bureau of Investigation.

“I don’t know where this Dmitry is now. He looked, of course, exhausted. I think he didn’t have money for a lawyer. They’ve probably already been deported to their homeland,” says Feldman.

At the end of 90, the officers of the department where Feldman works had the right to detain the suspects on the spot. But then, due to the loyalty of immigration laws, the procedure changed.

“Sometimes they bring a photocopy of the green card, and I understand that it is fake. But there is no reason to call our special department. I come up with a reason, say that I need to come with the original next time, and then I catch the offender by the hand,” says Feldman.

Boris just needs to look at the document and everything becomes clear. Professional skills of department employees are taught at special trainings. Most often, scammers make a fake from a stolen or found document. But there is a code on the green card that indicates its origin. It makes it clear how the person received this document. For example, you got married or won the lottery.

In this regard, Feldman had a straight-up criminal-comic story - a woman from Colombia came to him with an incredible legend.

“She brought a green card. I checked the code in the database and saw that she received a document through joining the family. But the card itself seemed suspicious to me. I asked how she obtained a residence permit in the United States. And she answers quite seriously: they say, President Nixon flew to Colombia and handed out cards to those who wanted it!” Feldman laughs.

As it turned out later, the woman simply did not even know with which particular code she bought the green card. By court decision, she was deported to her homeland, and now the road to the USA is closed to her.

See also:

In Pennsylvania, a Ukrainian with an expired visa was posing as a schoolboy

The scam for millions: how fraudsters cheat taxpayers

Brightness and poverty Brighton Beach: how the legendary "Little Odessa" lives

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