Philip Barton is general manager in the UK for plastic card manufacturer NBS Technologies. Earlier this year, he was elected as chairman of Project Genesius, which we featured in our March 2010 issue. Here he gives us an update on how printer manufacturers and UK distributors support Genesius, the Metropolitan Police’s project to combat false identities that pave the way for organised crime.
Criminal and terrorist organisations pay top money for quality counterfeits, which they commonly use to facilitate their illicit activities. For example, reports indicate that the al- Qaeda terrorist organisation and 9-11 hijackers made use of fraudulent passports, visas and entry and exit stamps in their international travels. As part of an initiative to reduce identity crime and disrupt the criminal networks manufacturing false identities, the Metropolitan Police identified a growing trend where illegal document factories are acquiring specialist printing equipment and supplies to support their criminal activities, allowing them to produce high quality counterfeits of official identification documents.
Five years ago the Met invited all the major players in the industry to join a voluntary partnership to share information and make it more difficult for criminals to obtain the hardware and consumables needed to manufacture false identities. Named after the patron saint of printers, Project Genesius now has around 200 members in the card printer, rubber stamp and security foiling industries, and has already contributed to some notable successes in identifying and disrupting identity document fraud:
•18 pan-European organised crime networks identified;
•£10m of confirmed fraud identified;
•£5m of fraud prevented against public and private sector organisations; and
•93 intelligence referrals regarding ID card factories operating in the UK.
More than a quarter of these referrals have been from Genesius members, directly resulting in the prosecution of 35 people who have been sentenced for a total 122 years and five months. This represents an average sentence of three and a half years for those convicted of document factory offences. Similar initiatives are now being rolled out in other countries in Europe. And in the USA, Operation Genesius has started under the auspices of the federal Department of Homeland Security. Card printer manufacturers and resellers, and suppliers and service providers in related industries (including repair shops) are eligible to participate in Project Genesius. Benefits of participating include contact with law enforcement representatives to share and receive information about trends in document fraud, and to be consulted on proposed changes to relevant legislation; and enhancement of company and industry reputation by supporting law enforcement and national security, including being given permission to use the official Genesius-Metropolitan Police logo on their websites.
Genesius members are required to comply with a voluntary code of conduct which includes:
•Record Keeping
Maintain and retain proper records of all transactions, for both UK and overseas customers.
•Customer Profiling
Profile new customers using guidance supplied to members by the Metropolitan Police.
•Supply of goods
Do not sell if there are any doubts as to the legitimacy of the customer or in the proposed use of the equipment.
•Supply of Information
Contact the Project Genesius team (based at London’s New Scotland Yard) by email if there are any suspicions about an order. If appropriate, this information – together with other appropriate warnings — is then cascaded to the Genesius membership.
For more information on Project Genesius contact: [email protected].
