Passport abuse becomes new tool for illegal immigrants
Illegal immigrants are using genuine passports issued to others as the forging of documents becomes more difficult. The Finnish Frontier Guard detained a man on Tuesday who attempted to board an aircraft with a passport belonging to another individual.
The man was en route from Sweden to Toronto, Canada via Finland.
Border officials at Helsinki Airport became suspicious during passport control when the passport photo and the traveller’s face did not match.
The Criminal Investigative Director of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard, Jyri Siitari, told Yle the number of cases where other people’s passports are used to cross borders is on the rise. He added that all such incidents were linked to illegal immigration.
Siitari believes handing over a passport for use by a third party could be a new avenue of criminal activity.
“For example, there are more cases of persons who have just received the citizenship of a country who allow their passport to be used by others for a fee,” explains Siitari.
The man detained on Tuesday has admitted using the Swedish passport of another individual. A preliminary investigation has begun and preparations made for his deportation from Finland.
