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Jess T. Ford highlights March 2009 undercover investigative results showing continued ability to obtain genuine passports using counterfeit or fraudulently obtained documents. The testimony explains vulnerabilities arising from people, process, and technology gaps, including limited training and resources, constrained inter-agency information access, and insufficient databases and information-sharing technologies to verify applicants’ records. It also reviews the status of prior recommendations to reduce fraud risk.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/significant-vulnerabilities-in-the-passport-issuance-process-statement/306443/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/significant-vulnerabilities-in-the-passport-issuance-process-statement/306443.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Felix Montgomery","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-18","2026-09-19",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",8,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"What did the GAO undercover investigation find about the passport issuance process?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"The investigation confirmed the State Department continued to face significant fraud vulnerabilities. It showed an investigator could obtain genuine U.S. passports using counterfeit or fraudulently obtained documents and identity information.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"What are the main causes of the passport fraud vulnerabilities identified in the testimony?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"The testimony states the vulnerabilities stem from people, process, and technology issues. Examples include insufficient training and resources, limited access to inter-agency information, and lack of databases and information-sharing technologies for verification.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"Why is passport fraud considered a serious security concern?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"Passports can facilitate additional identification and prove citizenship, and fraudulent passports may help conceal individuals’ movements and activities. 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Ford, Director International Affairs and Trade  \nGAO-09-681T AILA InfoNet Doc . No . 09050761. (Posted 05/07/09)  \nMay 5, 2009  \nMr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:  \nThank you for the opportunity to discuss our recent work on significant fraud vulnerabilities in the passport issuance process. My testimony today will highlight the results of our March 2009 report on undercover investigative tests, which confirmed the continued existence of significant fraud vulnerabilities in this process.1 We also provided a letter to you in April 2009, describing our recent work on passport fraud and summarizing actions the Department of State (State) has taken to address the prior weaknesses related to fraud vulnerabilities we identified.2 We have found that these vulnerabilities stem from people, process, and technology. For example, the lack of training and resources provided to people contributes to vulnerabilities in the detection of fraudulent applications and counterfeit documents. The limitations in the access to inter-agency information contribute to vulnerabilities related to processes. Finally, the lack of databases and information-sharing technologies contribute to vulnerabilities in the verification of passport applicants’ records. I will also discuss the status of prior recommendations and suggested corrective actions we have made to reduce fraud risk in the passport program.  \nA U.S. passport not only allows an individual to travel freely in and out of the United States, but also can be used to obtain further identification documents, prove U.S. citizenship, and set up bank accounts, among other things. Because passports issued under a false identity help enable individuals to conceal their movements and activities, there is great concern that passport fraud could facilitate acts of terrorism. Further, passport fraud facilitates other crimes such as illegal immigration, money laundering, drug trafficking, tax evasion, and alien smuggling. Malicious individuals may seek to exploit vulnerabilities in State’s current passport issuance process, such as a lack of due diligence on the part of examiners who screen applications, by using counterfeit or fraudulently obtained  \n1See GAO, Department of State: Undercover Tests Reveal Significant Vulnerabilities in State’s Passport Issuance Process, GAO-09-447 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 13, 2009).  \n2See GAO, Addressing Significant Vulnerabilities in the Department of State’s Passport Issuance Process, GAO-09-583R (Washington, D.C.: April 13, 2009).  \nPage 1 GAO-09-681T  \nAILA InfoNet Doc . No . 09050761. (Posted 05/07/09)  \ndocuments as proof of identity and U.S. citizenship to obtain genuine U.S. passports.3  \nMy comments today are based on our previously issued reports, which we performed in accordance with standards set forth by the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and generally accepted government auditing standards.  \nUndercover Investigation Confirms Continued Existence of Significant Fraud Vulnerabilities in the Passport Issuance Process  \nIn March 2009 we reported on the results of our investigation into the vulnerabilities of State’s passport issuance process. Specifically, we reported our undercover investigator was easily able to obtain four genuine U.S. passports using counterfeit or fraudulently obtained documents. For this investigation, we designed four test scenarios that would simulate the actions of a malicious individual who had access to another person’s identity information (a practice commonly known as identity theft). We then attempted to obtain four genuine U.S. passports by using coun","cbCaimZXS688qGJt","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimZXS688qGJt","pdf",67535,9,"English","# Significant Vulnerabilities in the Passport Issuance Process\n## Undercover Investigation Confirms Continued Existence of Significant Fraud Vulnerabilities in the Passport Issuance Process\n## Vulnerabilities Stem from People, Process, and Technology\n## Identity Theft Scenarios and Passport Misuse Risks","[{\"question\":\"What did the GAO undercover investigation find about the passport issuance process?\",\"answer\":\"The investigation confirmed the State Department continued to face significant fraud vulnerabilities. It showed an investigator could obtain genuine U.S. passports using counterfeit or fraudulently obtained documents and identity information.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the main causes of the passport fraud vulnerabilities identified in the testimony?\",\"answer\":\"The testimony states the vulnerabilities stem from people, process, and technology issues. Examples include insufficient training and resources, limited access to inter-agency information, and lack of databases and information-sharing technologies for verification.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is passport fraud considered a serious security concern?\",\"answer\":\"Passports can facilitate additional identification and prove citizenship, and fraudulent passports may help conceal individuals’ movements and activities. The testimony also links passport fraud to other crimes such as illegal immigration and money laundering, and it raises concern about potential terrorism facilitation.\"}]","Significant Vulnerabilities in the Passport Issuance Process - Statement | PDF",1789836713]