A seized mobile phone film shows how, among other things, illegal Swedish ID documents are produced.
The film was found in a mobile phone belonging to a man from Azerbaijan, but who lived in Sweden for two years with the help of a fake Bulgarian passport.
– Some of the forgeries are of very high quality, it is hardly the case that our document technicians can find it in some cases, says border police officer Robert Lindström.
The film from a preliminary investigation shows how several ID documents from the EU are manufactured, including passports and ID cards. A Swedish card for a residence permit in Sweden is also displayed. According to the border police, the film was made for purely marketing purposes.
– It is conceivable that this happens in Sweden, there is no reason to ship these across the globe, says border police officer Robert Lindström.
Can cost upwards of 5,000 euros for a passport
At the same time as the production of fake ID documents continues, thousands of people have received Swedish social security numbers on fake documents. Currently, there are currently 200 active police cases in Stockholm alone and the trade in fake documents can be lucrative.
– I have heard figures that you need to pay up to 5,000 euros for a fake passport, says Robert Lindström.
The police also state that some of the forgeries are so good that they can hardly tell the difference themselves.
The National Audit Office: Surprisingly large risks
According to police officers, the Tax Agency’s public records and the State’s service center are unable to reveal the false documents, which the National Audit Office agrees with. In an audit by the National Audit Office, the population registration of European citizens is particularly criticized.
– We started this review because we saw in both previous reviews from the National Audit Office and from others that there were risks and problems like this, but we can say that we are a little surprised at how big the risks are, says Anders Berg, audit director at the National Audit Office.
The state’s service center regrets that the quality of population registration is low and promises to improve.
– Here we need the authorities and the Tax Agency to be significantly better, says Paul Larsson, operations manager of the State Service Center.