SecureID to Crack Down on Use of Fraudulent Documents to Obtain State Identification

SecureID to Crack Down on Use of Fraudulent Documents to Obtain State Identification

Initiative to Combat Illegal Immigration and Identity Theft, Support Homeland Security

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue today unveiled Georgia SecureID, a multi-agency effort to combat the use of fraudulent documents to obtain state identification cards and driver’s licenses. Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) investigators will be placed in the 10 highest-need DDS Customer Service Centers throughout the state to crack down on the use of fraudulent documents.

“I firmly believe that if we don’t address the issues that are important to the average person, we don’t deserve to govern,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “I don’t need a poll to tell me this is important to Georgians, because I’ve been hearing from our citizens loud and clear on this issue. The bottom line is this: we will not welcome those who break our laws.”

`Georgia SecureID represents a multi-agency effort to combat the use of fraudulent documents to obtain state ID’s and provide additional investigative resources to ensure document integrity. The Georgia SecureID initiative will:

• Place DDS investigators in the 10 highest-need facilities throughout the state to crack down on the use of fraudulent documents to obtain state ID’s. These investigators will:
  Ö Review suspicious documents (fraudulent birth certificates, out-of-state licenses/ID cards, passports, I-94 immigration documents and social security cards).
  Ö Question individuals who produce fraudulent documents.
  Ö Conduct arrests, issue warrants and provide court testimony in cases of DDS ID fraud.
  Ö Conduct follow-up investigations on the sources of fraudulent documents in conjunction with law enforcement agencies.
  Ö Provide regional investigative support to surrounding DDS Customer Service Centers.
  Ö Provide training to center examiners on document recognition.
  
  
• Dedicate three new GBI agents to conduct follow-up/investigations of fraud issues including identity theft, human trafficking, drug trafficking and other crimes.
  
• Partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on identifying document and benefit fraud.
  
• Be funded with approximately $1 million in the FY07 Amended or FY08 budget cycle.
  

“It is simply unacceptable for people to sneak into this country illegally on Thursday, obtain a government-issued ID on Friday, head for the welfare office on Monday and cast a vote on Tuesday,” said Governor Perdue. “We owe this to the people of Georgia who foot the bill for public services. We’ve already passed some of the strongest anti-illegal immigration laws in the country, and now we’re taking steps to protect our state on the front end of the licensing process.”

Currently illegal immigrants in Georgia are using valid state ID’s obtained through illegitimate means to obtain employment and access state-funded services. DDS reports that 88 percent of ID fraud cases in 2005 involved either a non-U.S. citizen or fraudulent foreign documentation. Fraudulent identity documents are also a threat to homeland security. At least seven of the September 11 hijackers obtained genuine Virginia identity documents through fraud.

Georgia SecureID will enable the state to ensure the integrity of a Georgia driver’s license, follow the sources of fraudulent documents, combat identity theft and keep Georgia drivers safe by preventing individuals from obtaining a license illegally.

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