Passports On The Evening News - Lessons You Can Learn From These Stories
Monday, August 30th, 2010We all know that identity theft is a very serious problem these days and passports are a really big target for those who want to perpetrate this crime. A stolen passport can be altered and used by a terrorist or spy to freely enter the United States unnoticed. None of us want to make it any easier for someone to do harm to our citizens or our country so perhaps after reading some of these incidents, we will all be more careful with our passports.
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.
A 29-year-old New York resident named Eugene Todie was a criminal who was on probation with the federal courts for criminal contempt. A counterfeit passport was used by Mr. Todie to leave and re-enter the United States several times. When apprehended, he actually was wearing an ankle bracelet for monitoring purposed. His explanation was that he wore it because he was a big Lindsey Lohan fan and since she had to wear one, he wanted to wear one, too. Now that was quite a story.
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 American passport renewal emergency, but not without dealing with the consequences.
We all need to be aware that a passport is a very important document that verifies our identification and our citizenship. In the wrong hands, this document that enables us to enjoy international travel can become the key that opens the door for a criminal or terrorist whose only purpose is to do us harm.
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 U.S. 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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