Skip to main content

Identity and Benefit Fraud

Identity and Benefit Fraud

Identity and Benefit Fraud

Leading criminal investigations into document and benefit fraud

Identity and benefit fraud are crimes that threaten the national security and public safety of the U.S. by creating a vulnerability which potentially enables terrorists, other criminals and illegal aliens to gain entry to and remain in the United States. It also threatens the integrity of the lawful immigration system administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) through the adjudication of applications for immigration benefits. HSI is the lead agency for the criminal investigation into immigration benefit fraud, and works closely with its federal, state and local partners through HSI-led Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces (DBFTFs) to combat these serious crimes.

The HSI identity and benefit fraud program focuses its efforts in the following areas:

  • Conduct effective and focused investigations into the evasion of lawful immigration systems and the use of counterfeit documents that enable and facilitate the entry, stay and movement of unauthorized aliens, terrorists and other criminal foreign nationals into and throughout the United States.
  • Detect and disrupt individuals and organizations that defraud U.S. benefit granting agencies, such as USCIS, the Department of Labor and the Department of State.
  • Identify and dismantle sources of identity document fraud, including document manufacturers, identity thieves and brokers.
Resource
Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces

Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces

Resource
HSI Forensics Laboratory

HSI Forensics Laboratory

Updated: