Salvadoran arrested for using fraudulent document
The U.S. Embassy in San Salvador reports that the Central Investigations Division (DCI) of the National Civilian Police (PNC), detained a Salvadoran national in Antiguo Cuscatlán for the use and possession of a false document on December 8, 2020.
The man applied for an immigrant visa using a fraudulent police certificate that he purchased for $600 from a lawyer in El Salvador, while still residing in the U.S. The document costs $6 locally.
If found guilty, the prison sentence according to the Salvadoran penal code can range from 3 to 6 years. Committing fraud during a visa application can lead to being permanently ineligible for a visa under U.S. Immigration and National Law.
The Embassy thanks the Attorney General’s Office and the PNC for their continued cooperation in bringing charges against anyone who uses forged documents.
Before hiring the services of consultants or lawyers who offer visa or passport services, it is recommended that Salvadorans inform themselves of the actual costs of these processes.
The Embassy urges Salvadorans to not pay any person for US visas or passports, only the embassy can issue these official documents. It also urges visa and passport applicants to obtain official Salvadoran documents, such as birth certificates, police certificates, and marriage certificates, directly from Salvadoran government entities. Only using trusted intermediaries when necessary.
Diplomatic Security Service’s Overseas Criminal Investigations office at the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador investigates visa and passport fraud.
