Thursday, April 26, 2007

The Bastardization of Our Identities

Cross posted from The Peoples Patriot

 



Document forgery is a multi million dollar industry.Let's face it our identities as American citizens boil down to essentially two or three documents. Our social security number, birth certificate and drivers license. Sure there are also passports and other forms of ID but in real life, at least as we know it for now, it's social security number, birth certificate and/or drivers license.


Even though it's not a form of ID in and of itself, arguably social security numbers are probably the most important form of identification for American citizens. A social security number allows you to work, earn money, apply for credit as well as qualify for social and retirement benefits to name a few. Social security numbers also allow us to file income taxes. It's important to note that social security numbers aren't issued by the IRS, rather they are issued by the the Social Security Administration. It's also of interest to note that they consist of nine digits.

Illegal aliens cannot obtain a social security number legally. They lack the underlying document requirements necessary to get one. That doesn't mean they can't get them anyway. Often times they will buy social security numbers/cards, drivers licenses and immigration papers from a document forger. Document forgery is a booming business with 30 million potential customers just waiting their turn to buy in.

One such operation, doing the business that Americans won't do, was shut down by federal authorities yesterday. The forgery business uncovered in Chicago, was kicking out 15,000 bogus documents per year. It was estimated that the "business" was in operation for four years before being shut down.

Take a look at the kind of money that this one operation was generating.
"The document dealers employed illegal immigrants to sell fake driver's licenses, green cards and Social Security numbers in the parking lot of a mall in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, court papers say. The sellers, as many as 20 at a time, worked in shifts, selling documents from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for $200 to $300 for a set. The operation sold 50 to 100 document sets per day, the indictment says.

Prosecutors say the business netted between $2 million and $3 million a year and had been in operation at least four years."

This is just one illegal enterprise operating in just one major city. Multiply this by cities and towns across the nation and you have mass fraud on the scale of tsunami. Not only does this allow illegal aliens to function in the country, often times leading to fraudulent access to tax payer paid social benefits, it also can have a profound affect on the lives of those whose identity has been stolen.

If this scenario isn't bad enough, there are those in our government and government agencies themselves, who aid and abet in the process. Here is what United States Congressman Luis Gutierrez said about the raid that closed down the multi million dollar and multi national illegal enterprise.
"U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who represents the community where the raid took place, called it "an outrage and completely excessive."

"It only served to frighten and intimidate a vulnerable community and to drive a wedge between law enforcement and immigrants," Gutierrez said in a statement."

To him it's more important to not frighten an community made up of illegal aliens than to protect the American people's identities and the nation's identity infrastructure. But the corruption goes deeper than that.

The father of Chicago Alderman, Ricardo Munoz owned one of the stores where the photos for the fake documents were taken.
"Inside the mall, the buyers of the fake IDs often got their photos taken at a store owned by the father of Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd). Munoz's father wasn't charged, but a federal complaint says undercover agents bought fake IDs inside the store four times."

Adding to the aiding, abetting and advocating on the part of prominent politicians, are the policies of government agencies themselves.

Earlier I alluded to the fact that social security numbers are nine digits and issued by the Social Security Administration. To obfuscate social security identity, the IRS in its infinite wisdom issues ITIN's or Individual Tax Identification Numbers to illegal aliens as well as legitimate individuals.

Instead of making these identification numbers unique in comparison to social security numbers, the ITIN's are also nine digits. This makes it difficult or impossible for the average guy to differentiate between a social security number from an ITIN. This undoubtedly leads to fraudulent use of the ITIN. Which would include using the ITIN as identification or for the purpose of proving work eligiblity. Both uses of the ITIN are prohibited and it says so on the IRS.gov site.

However, how serious is the IRS and Social Security Administration about identification integrity when "no match" violations are rarely if ever investigated and prosecuted? They won't even report these violations to Homeland Security for their follow up. No my friends, it's don't ask, don't tell. This dereliction of duty directly undermines national and personal security. It's almost like a wink and a nod in the context of allowing identity fraud and theft.

I have seen first hand, how identity theft can affect peoples lives. I have had clients denied for mortgages and other credit because of fraudulent use of their social security numbers. It also affects their ability to rent apartments, get some types of jobs and even affects their ability to buy auto and homeowners insurance. When identities are impaired due to theft or fraud, the personal impact is enormous.

Should identity theft or fraud happen to you, don't expect help from the government or the businesses you deal with. The Social Security Administration and the IRS will not inform you of any impropriety with regard to your social security identity. You are on your own which is why the credit reporting agencies have been successful in marketing credit monitoring programs to the masses.

The police are reluctant to help because identity crimes are often not prosecuted. My co-worker had her purse stolen from our office. It took a call to the Mayor to get two detectives to investigate her plight. Even though the thief tried to use her credit cards fraudulently, my co-worker could not press charges. The credit card company has to press the charges as the fraudulent use of the card is considered a crime against the creditor and not the individual. How much sense does that make?

Our identities are being stolen, compromised and bastardized thanks to the system, government agencies, business, pandering politicians as well as the criminals themselves. All this to the detriment of national and personal security.

As long as Wall Street is breaking records, businesses are turning profits and paying off our politicians, you can expect no change in the very perilous status quo.

Chalk this up to yet another ravaging affect of illegal immigration. What are we to do when those who are elected and/or paid to protect us and our country refuse to do so




Other Patriotic Posts from CAII MembersStiknstein's Still Holding Their Feet to the Fire

Illegal Aliens Must Go
- "Family Values" Don't Stop at Rio Grande? What About Abortion, Duyba?

GA Crime Watch
- Georgia Colleges Want to Hear From YouBear Creek Ledger - Rep Boehner's Feet Held to the Fire

The Uncooperative Blogger's Agents: No confidence in border chief and Illegal Aliens Get Tax Refunds!


CAII
This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email stiknstein-at-gmail-dot-com and let us know at what level you would like to participate.

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