Stolen Passports – Safety Needs To Be Number One

A stolen U.S. passport is a very dangerous thing. The only reason someone would steal your passport would be to commit a crime. By using someone else’s identity, a criminal or terrorist can move from country to country unnoticed and difficult to detect. When a criminal has a fraudulent passport, we are all in danger. There are so many people in this world who want to hurt our citizens and our country and a passport is a very dangerous tool in their hands.

Here are a few stories that will make my point. A forty one year old British citizen, John Skelton, attempted to get into the United States with a fraudulent passport that was issued in the name of Kurt Branham. Actually, Mr. Branham was dead and had been dead since 1994. He had a very important position in the Senate as he served as an aide to a United States senator. Exactly what Mr. Skelton was planning is unknown but it is certain he did not want to be detected.

A 29-year-old New York resident named Eugene Todie was a criminal who was on probation with the federal courts for criminal contempt. A counterfeit passport was used by Mr. Todie to leave and re-enter the United States several times. When apprehended, he actually was wearing an ankle bracelet for monitoring purposed. His explanation was that he wore it because he was a big Lindsey Lohan fan and since she had to wear one, he wanted to wear one, too. Now that was quite a story.

Passport issues are nothing new for Lindsay Lohan. She was schedule to appear in court for alcohol charges. She was performing in the United Kingdom and when it came time to leave, she claimed she lost her passport and therefore could not keep her court date. Upon trying to get into the United States, she was turned away because she did not present her passport. It’s good to know that the passport laws apply to everyone. She certainly had a passport renewal emergency!  

We all need to be aware that a passport is a very important document that verifies our identification and our citizenship. In the wrong hands, this document that enables us to enjoy international travel can become the key that opens the door for a criminal or terrorist whose only purpose is to do us harm.  

A stolen U.S. passport is a receipt for danger. The only reason anyone would steal someone’s passport is because they are up to no good. Keep your passport in a safe place and if you ever loose it, immediately notify the authorities and then you can take care of your passport renewal emergency by contacting a secure, online passport agent. We need to all be alert with reference to these important documents. We want to be a part of keeping our country safe.