Social Networking sites such as FaceBook are now being leveraged by USCIS to help fight marriage fraud. A 2008 leaked USCIS Memo confirms the government is accessing social networking sites to sniff out fraud. The report by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is entitled “Social Networking Sites and Their Importance to FDNS” (Office of Fraud Detection and National Security), offers agents detailed instructions on the ins-and-outs of social networks, including how to join, how to expand friend networks once someone becomes a new member, what the most popular social networking sites are, and more.
The memo states, “Narcissistic tendencies of people fuel a need to have a large group of ‘friends’ link to their pages and many of these people accept cyber-friends that they don’t even know.” Furthermore, the memo indicates, “This provides an excellent vantage point for FDNS to observe the daily life of beneficiaries and petitioners who are suspected of fraudulent activities.”
The memo presumes that anything you post on Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites is true and accurate. Most importantly, it also suggests that agents should treat online profiles as a “cyber site-visit” and look to them to spot fake relationships and other types of fraud.
Therefore, be careful who you add as a friend and what you post on your profile. This could lead to the denial of your immigration petition.
To read the memo, click on the below link:
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