24 May 2019

American Samoan authorities investigate fake passport scam

12:53 pm on 24 May 2019

The Department of Homeland Security in American Samoa is questioning people they believe may be involved in a scheme to move foreigners in and out of the territory using fake passports.

United States passport generic US

Photo: 123RF

Director Samana Semo Ve'ave'a, said they were working with the local airlines to gather information to help in the investigation.

Last week two people of Indian descent using Canadian passports were detained by Samoan immigration for falsifying their entry forms.

The two had been banned from entering Fiji for a year after authorities discovered their passports were fake.

They failed to declare this on their entry forms.

Samana said a local resident was trying to bring the two men, who are detained in Samoa, to the territory.

The two men being detained in Apia, Sohan Lal and Jasver Singh, had travelled to Apia from Tonga and were to travel to American Samoa.

Samoan authorities plan to send them back to Tonga.