Abandoned Identities: How Former Immigrants’ U.S. Records Fuel Global Fraud Markets

This white paper exposes a growing but poorly-understood threat: the shadow market for the identities of former legal immigrants to the United States. Each year, thousands of students, seasonal workers, and temporary employees leave the country when their visas, contracts, or studies conclude. Yet their U.S. identities—anchored by Social Security numbers, tax filings, and credit histories—remain active long after their departure. These records, which were created to enable lawful work and financial participation, are increasingly being exploited by international fraudsters.

Read the whitepaper to:

• Learn how Russian-language fraud markets have turned these abandoned identities into a high-value commodity.
• See case studies of three former immigrants that demonstrate how identities left behind years earlier have been reactivated in recent attempts to secure credit, with some applications linked to clusters of broader identity theft activity.
• Learn what action should be taken to combat this threat.