We 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 U.S. 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.
Mr. John Skelton who was
forty one years old and a British citizen, tried to enter the United
States using a passport that was in the name of Kurt Branham. It just so
happened that Mr. Branham died in 1994 and prior to his death he served
as a legislative aide to a United States senator. It is scary to
realize that this stolen identity passport had been successfully used
twice before the thief was caught.
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.
Speaking of Lindsay Lohan, she has had her own
passport issues. She was out of the country and was due to appear in
court back in the United States. She did not show up for that
appointment and blamed it on her claim that she had lost her passport
which prohibited her from returning to the United States. She tried to
return to the U.S. without a passport but was turned away. This is a
good lesson to each of us and should help us understand that no one is
immune to the regulations that govern the use of passports. Her passport
renewal emergency was taken care of but she has a big price to pay for
her failure to appear in court on time.
It is important that we
all realize what an important document a passport is. We must always
keep them in safe places and if we should loose one or suspect ours
might have been stolen, we need to report it immediately.
Perhaps reviewing these stories has shown you how dangerous a
passport can be if it is placed in the wrong hands. Your safety and that
of your family is in jeopardy when we don't take proper care of this
important document and permit it to fall into the hands of a criminal or
terrorist. The dangers caused by a stolen U.S. passport are hard to measure but if you find yours is missing, this passport renewal emergency can be handled by contacting a passport agency as soon as possible.
