Many individuals looking to obtain a U.S. Green card do not meet the eligibility requirements as mandated by the government. Sadly, due to having a criminal record or limited resources, a large number of green card applications are rejected.  To achieve their goal of living in the United States, many illegal aliens obtain fake green cards.

By purchasing a fake card, you are committing Green Card Fraud. This felony awards harsh punishment and deportation to those who are caught. If you are deported, future applications for re-entry to the United States are barred from being accepted.

An advanced fraud ring knows the first requirement to producing a legitimate-looking green card is a social security number. Most banks and financial institutions are trained to verify this feature, but are not required to verify the number itself.

Most employment verification requires the social security number to be verified. If this information is returned as being incorrect, employment can be denied and the authorities could be notified.

Proper knowledge and training can be learned to detect the difference in a real or fake card. The most important feature to notice is appearance. The card should feel the same as all other green cards you handle on a regular basis.

The card should also be free of any extra laminate unless it is an obvious repair job. This could be the first indication that a card has been tampered with, but it could also be a cheap fix instead of filing for a replacement card. Use close discretion before notifying the authorities of these circumstances, only report the incident if you think it could be a counterfeit green card document.

Before lamination by the U.S. Passport Office, the green card is printed on security paper. This paper was specially designed by the government to prevent reproduction of fake cards. Although difficult to reproduce, many advanced fraud rings can create a matching document with ease.

The picture should look like the individual possessing the card. Closely examine the picture compared to the person who holds the card, there should be considerable resemblance in likeness.

Any other signs of tampering could be evidence of a fake card. This should be immediately reported to the proper authorities.

If you want to come to the United States, please remember that counterfeit cards are illegal and if you are caught, you could end up in a lot worse circumstances than you are now.