VANCOUVER, BC — Around the world, law enforcement and immigration authorities are encountering a growing and dangerous trend: criminals evading justice by using synthetic identities to secure second passports and establish new lives abroad.
This sophisticated form of deception—known as synthetic identity fraud—involves creating entirely fabricated identities using a mix of real and fictional personal data and then leveraging these identities to slip past border controls, acquire legal travel documents, and disappear.
With global databases becoming more connected and biometric controls tightening, synthetic identity fraud has evolved into a primary tool for criminals seeking to elude extradition, financial prosecution, and surveillance.
In response, Amicus International Consulting, a global leader in legal identity solutions, is spotlighting this threat and offering legal, ethical alternatives for individuals who need a lawful new beginning, not a fraudulent one.
What Is Synthetic Identity Fraud and How Is It Used to Secure Passports?
Synthetic identity fraud occurs when criminals:
- Use real data, such as Social Security numbers, passport numbers, or birth certificates, often stolen from children, the deceased, or data breach victims
- Combine it with fake data, like made-up names, birthplaces, and addresses
- Create a new, plausible identity that can be used to apply for credit, open bank accounts, and eventually apply for citizenship or residency programs
By slowly building credit histories and bureaucratic records, these “people” appear real, especially in countries with poor due diligence standards, minimal biometric enforcement, or corrupt officials.
Once the identity matures, criminals exploit Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs or apply for replacement passports under the synthetic persona, disappearing into legal systems that assume legitimacy.
Case Study 1: The Billion-Dollar Banker Who Became a Ghost
In 2021, a former financial executive under investigation in Hong Kong created a synthetic identity using the Social Security number of a deceased U.S. infant and forged documents sourced from the dark web. Over 18 months, he established credit in Southeast Asia, applied for Caribbean citizenship via an investment program using his new synthetic ID, and obtained a second passport. He travelled freely for three years under his new name until a biometric mismatch during a visa process in France exposed the deception. He remains a fugitive.
Synthetic Identities: A New Weapon Against Extradition
Criminals using synthetic identities avoid detection in the following ways:
- Bypassing Red Notices and Watchlists: Since the identity is fake, it doesn’t trigger alerts tied to the real criminal.
- Obtaining Real Passports from Real Governments: Some nations issue passports based on submitted documents without deep biometric cross-verification.
- Applying for Replacement Documents: Criminals use fraudulent data to apply for passports in countries where vetting is minimal or bribery is possible.
- Altering Facial Biometrics: AI-generated photos or facial surgery can fool border recognition systems.
Case Study 2: Cartel Commander in Disguise
In 2022, a member of a central drug cartel facing a U.S. indictment disappeared from Colombia. Investigators later discovered he had used a synthetic identity — created using a stolen Bolivian ID number and AI-generated biometrics — to obtain a passport from a West African nation. With this identity, he opened businesses in Dubai, secured bank accounts in the Cayman Islands, and travelled to Europe under diplomatic cover. He remains at large.
A Global Crisis in the Making
Interpol, Europol, and multiple national governments have reported a surge in cases where:
- Second passports were issued to non-existent persons
- Synthetic identities were used to apply for asylum or refugee status
- Financial criminals vanished using new documents obtained under fraudulent data
- Terror suspects travelled across continents under synthetic names
Many of these frauds involve complicit actors — brokers, immigration consultants, or government insiders — and often go undetected until a serious crime occurs.
The Legal and Security Risks of Synthetic Second Passports
Governments and agencies face extreme vulnerabilities when synthetic identities are used to obtain second citizenships:
- Breakdown of identity verification systems
- Issuance of voting rights, passports, and social benefits to fake individuals
- Diplomatic incidents when fugitives travel under false national identities
- Severe damage to national credibility and security policy
For individuals caught using synthetic passports, penalties are severe:
- Extradition under fraud and immigration statutes
- Prison sentences of 10–25 years in most jurisdictions
- Asset freezes, blacklisting, and travel bans
- Revocation of any legally held second citizenships
Case Study 3: The London Art Dealer Who Was Never Real
A man posing as a French-born art dealer lived for nearly a decade in London, using a synthetic identity built from multiple stolen data points and forged international records.
He secured an EU passport via naturalization in Portugal, bought properties in London and Monaco, and defrauded clients of over £7 million in fake art sales. Authorities discovered his true identity after an Interpol data audit in 2024 matched his fingerprints to an unsolved murder in Brazil.
Amicus International Consulting: Offering Legal Identity Transitions, Not Deception
Amicus International Consulting offers secure, fully legal identity change services that do not involve synthetic fraud for individuals with legitimate reasons to change their identity, such as whistleblowers, persecuted activists, or domestic abuse survivors.
Services include:
- Legal name changes and document corrections
- Second passports via vetted Citizenship by Investment programs
- Ancestry-based nationality claims
- Digital privacy support and biometric security
- Relocation services in cooperation with licensed immigration attorneys
“Our clients aren’t criminals trying to disappear,” said a spokesperson for Amicus. “They are people with a legal right to change their circumstances — and we provide that opportunity within the bounds of law.”
Case Study 4: From Political Target to Protected Citizen
In 2022, a Belarusian activist targeted by government surveillance sought assistance from Amicus. Rather than risk synthetic ID fraud or falsified passports, she applied through a CBI program in the Caribbean with Amicus’ help.
Her documents were lawfully processed, her name legally changed, and today she lives safely in a country that supports free speech — no dark web, no lies, no fraud.
Don’t Be a Ghost: Choose a Legal Identity That Holds Up
Synthetic ID fraud may offer a temporary escape, but it invites permanent consequences. Law enforcement, banking regulators, and immigration agencies worldwide are integrating biometric cross-checks, AI-based behaviour analysis, and intergovernmental data sharing. The world is catching up — and there’s no haven for fake people anymore.
For those seeking absolute protection, Amicus International Consulting is the only firm offering legitimate, legal pathways to a second passport and a new identity.
📞 Contact Information
Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402
Email: info@amicusint.ca
Website: www.amicusint.ca
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