Passports have been mediums for identity theft since they were first invented. With a passport, a potential identity thief can enter and exit the United States; and, using it as a veritable form of identity, can access all sorts of stuff that can be potentially dangerous. There have been many news stories lately about passport fraud, and with increasing technologies on both sides of the passport fraud “industry,” they are becoming more and more important for the American people to see. From a stolen U.S. passport to identity theft of a dead man, these stories show just how dangerous a misplaced passport can be.

Here are a few stories that will make my point. A forty one year old British citizen, John Skelton, attempted to get into the United States with a fraudulent passport that was issued in the name of Kurt Branham. Actually, Mr. Branham was dead and had been dead since 1994. He had a very important position in the Senate, as he served as an aide to a United States senator. Exactly what Mr. Skelton was planning is unknown, but it is certain he did not want to be detected.

Mr. Eugene Todie was a 29-year-old New York resident who was on probation for criminal contempt. His use of a fraudulent passport permitted him to leave and re-enter the United States undetected. When he was caught, he was even wearing an ankle monitor; and when asked about it, he said he was a fan of Lindsey Lohan and was simply wearing it in her honor. That was quite a story, but people who break the law in this way are dangerous, and must be apprehended.

You may have heard about Lindsay Lohan’s own issues regarding passports. While she was overseas, she claimed someone stole her passport, making it impossible for her to return to Los Angeles where she could appear in court for missing numerous court ordered alcohol education classes. She allegedly tried to re-enter the country without a passport, but she was denied entrance. Whether you believe her story or not, it just goes to show that no one is immune from the passport laws. She was able to handle her passport renewal emergency, but not without dealing with the consequences.

Dealing with passports is serious business, especially if it has been stolen, copied, or forged. A criminal can do a lot of harm to you and your family with a passport, so be sure to keep yours in a very safe place.

As you can see by these varying news reports, passports are potentially harmful tools. If you are traveling abroad and your passport gets misplaced or stolen, there are things you can do to prevent it being misused. There are solutions to a passport renewal emergency, and dealing with it correctly is important to keep your stolen passport out of criminals’ hands. The best thing to do, however, is just be diligent. If you are protective of your passport and your identity, you are far less likely to be left dealing with an emergency.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 12th, 2010 at 5:02 pm and is filed under Air, Passports, Travel, U.S. Passports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.