AMERICAN CITIZENS SERVICES NEWSLETTER
U.S. EMBASSY KYIV, UKRAINE
April 27, 2006
Through the monthly American Citizens Services newsletter, the U.S. Embassy provides security and other information of general interest to U.S. citizens in Ukraine who have subscribed by registering with the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv and providing an email address. This newsletter also serves as monthly test of our ability to reach Americans in Ukraine in the event of a wide-scale emergency. If you believe others would benefit from receiving this newsletter, please forward it to them and encourage them to subscribe. Please see the information on subscription at the bottom of this newsletter.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
· Importing Easter Eggs into the U.S.
· Mumps Outbreak in the U.S.
· 2006 Election Information
· Registering To Vote: Another Possible Option
· Tax Spam Threats
Renewing U.S. Drivers Licenses While Overseas
Request for Cellular Telephone Numbers for Text-Messaging
Internet-Based Registration System (IBRS)
Travel Information: Warnings and Public Announcements
Other Useful Internet Addresses Available for U.S. Citizens
Holidays and Other Embassy Closures
Subscription to American Citizens Services Newsletter
IMPORTING EASTER EGGS INTO THE U.S.
The Embassy has been informed that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Control (CBP) is enforcing a ban on the importation into the U.S. of whole painted egg shells originating in countries infected with Exotic Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza. This includes the decorative Ukrainian Easter eggs known as "pysanky." Despite the egg shells being painted and coated with wax in most cases, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations still apply.
Airline passengers found to have such items will be given the option to 1) immediately export; 2) destroy under CBP supervision; or 3) authorize movement to an approved establishment. In most circumstances when found in passenger baggage, whole empty egg shells will be seized for destruction.
CBP enforces USDA regulations. For further information visit
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel.
MUMPS OUTBREAK IN THE U.S.
Persons traveling to the United States may wish to review information from the Centers for Disease Control on a widespread outbreak of mumps at
http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/HAN/ArchiveSys/ViewMsgV.asp?AlertNum=00244 2006 ELECTION INFORMATION
You can find a wealth of information about voting, including State and monthly election calendars, links to on-line registration and an Absentee Ballot request form, and State by State Instructions at
http://www.fvap.gov. This is the website of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). The program's three goals are to 1 ) inform and educate U.S. citizens worldwide of their right to vote; 2) foster voting participation; and 3) protect the integrity of, and simultaneously enhance , the electoral process at the Federal, State and local levels.
REGISTERING TO VOTE: ANOTHER POSSIBLE OPTION
Overseas Vote Foundation at
http://www.overseasvotefoundation.org states that it is dedicated to making the right to vote accessible and simple for all Americans living outside of the United States. They provide on-line assistance for those wishing to register to vote.
TAX SPAM THREATS
As tax season approaches, we strongly encourage everyone to carefully read the information below and beware of potential "phishing," i.e. fraudulently attempts to illegally acquire, (via e-mails or other electronic communications) and subsequently exploit, a person's sensitive and/or financial information, such as passwords, social security numbers or credit card details.
Since November 2005, the U.S. Department of Treasury's Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) has received numerous complaints regarding "phishing" schemes that purport to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and solicit personal and financial information from American taxpayers. TIGTA determined that these complaints were associated with 12 separate phishing schemes traced to 11 separate countries.
Hundreds of thousands of bogus, "phishing" e-mail messages from fraudulent entities have been sent out informing the potential victims that they are due a significant refund or are currently under investigation by the IRS. The e-mail then asks the potential victim to click on a link contained within the e-mail to "access the IRS website." The link connects the victim to a site that appears to be legitimate and then prompts the victim for personal information, such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, and credit card pin numbers. The phishing sites appear legitimate because MOST of the content is obtained from an actual page on the IRS website, which is then modified by the "phishers."
TIGTA has been working along side the IRS Computer Security Incident Response Capability (CSIRC), the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), and various Internet Service Providers and international CERT teams to have the phishing sites taken offline as soon as they are reported. To date, TIGTA investigations have identified 12 separate IRS phishing sites from the following 11 countries: United States, Aruba, Italy, Austria, England, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, Korea, and Singapore.
The IRS never sends out unsolicited e-mails, and under no circumstances, requests credit card information and pin numbers through e-mail. According to the IRS, if a taxpayer would like to confirm any e-mail from the IRS, the number to call is 1-800-829-1040.
RENEWING U.S. DRIVERS LICENSES WHILE OVERSEAS
If you find that your U.S. state drivers license is about to expire and you would like to have it renewed, you should contact the DMV office in the state where your current license was issued. Some states will allow you to renew your license while overseas, others will not.
A good place to start your search for information on this process is
http://www.dmv.org. From there you can link to your state's DMV office website which usually posts information on procedures for renewing your license. Although the U.S. Embassy has no role in the renewal process, we can notarize certain documents for you if required by your state for renewal. See our information on notarials at
http://kiev.usembassy.gov/amcit_generalinfo_notarial_eng.html REQUEST FOR CELLULAR TELEPHONE NUMBERS FOR TEXT-MESSAGING
The American Citizens Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has implemented a text messaging network, whereby registered American citizens in Ukraine can receive short text messages (SMS). The SMS is sent to cellular telephones, informing the user that a new warden message has been issued (i.e., posted on the Embassy website and e-mailed to individual registrants) and providing important information in case of an emergency. Since some of our registrants do not have constant access to the Internet, this text-messaging capability enhances our ability to contact Americans in the event of an emergency.
As with all personal information provided by American citizens, we consider privacy and information technology security to be a top priority. We will ensure that cellular phone numbers are protected properly as required by law.
If you would like to participate, please make sure that your cellular telephone supports the text messaging option and provide us with your phone number in the following format:
(2-digit country code)(3-digit provider code)(7-digit number) without blank spaces, brackets or any other symbols. For example, a UMC cellular phone number in Ukraine will look like the following: 380501234567. Please send the phone number, along with your name, by e-mail to
acskiev@state.gov. We encourage your participation as an emergency preparedness measure.
INTERNET-BASED REGISTRATION SYSTEM (IBRS)
The Embassy strongly encourages all American citizens residing or traveling abroad to register with us.
U.S. citizens around the world who travel or reside abroad can access the State Department’s secure online registration website either through a link on
http://travel.state.gov or directly at
http://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs. We invite you to register yourself and your family and get acquainted with travel registration. Even if you believe you are already registered with this Embassy, please take a minute to check your record and update any information that may have changed.
If you encounter any difficulties or have any questions about the State Department’s registration website, please send an e-mail to
caibrs@state.gov. If you have specific questions about your registration with this Embassy please contact us at
acskiev@state.gov.
TRAVEL INFORMATION: WARNINGS AND PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Since our last Newsletter on March 17, 2006, the Department of State has issued Travel Warnings on Liberia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Chad, Yemen, Central African Republic, and Nepal, as well as Public Announcements about travel to Bangladesh, Italy, Holy See (Vatican City) and San Marino, Iraq, France and Monaco, Russia Federation, and Turkey. The Announcements on Russia and Turkey were disseminated by the Embassy to all subscribers on April 18, 2006. The full texts of these and other current documents are available at the Department of State, Consular Affairs, website
http://travel.state.gov.
OTHER USEFUL INTERNET ADDRESSES AVAILABLE FOR U.S. CITIZENS
U.S. Federal Government:
http://www.firstgov.govU.S. Department of State Consular Affairs:
http://travel.state.govU.S. Department of Homeland Security:
http://www.dhs.gov U.S. Federal Aviation Administration:
http://www.faa.gov U.S. Internal Revenue Service:
http://www.irs.gov Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov World Health Organization
http://www.who.org Social Security Administration:
http://www.ssa.gov SSA Newsletter:
http://www.ssa.gov/enews/ Federal Voting Assistance:
http://www.fvap.gov U.S. Customs & Border Protection:
http://www.cbp.gov (for information including importation of household pets, animal and plant health inspection, etc)
U.S. Department of Agriculture:
http://www.usda.gov (for information on food products, food safety and inspection service)
U.S. Postal Inspection Service:
http://www.usps.com/websites/depart/inspect/ Internet Fraud Complaint Center:
http://www.ifccfbi.gov Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, D.C.:
http://www.ukremb.com Consulate General of Ukraine in New York:
http://www.brama.com/ua-consulate Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago:
http://www.ukrchicago.com Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco:
http://www.ukrainesf.com HOLIDAYS AND OTHER CLOSURES
The Embassy will be closed on the following official holidays for 2006:
May 1, 2 (Monday, Tuesday) -- International Labor Day (Ukraine)
May 8, 9 (Monday, Tuesday) -- Victory Day (Ukraine)
May 29 (Monday) -- Memorial Day (U.S.)
June 11, 12 (Sunday, Monday) -- Holy Trinity (Ukraine)
June 28 (Wednesday) -- Constitution Day (Ukraine)
July 4 (Tuesday) -- Independence Day (U.S.)
August 24 (Thursday) -- Independence Day (Ukraine)
September 4 (Monday) -- Labor Day (U.S.)
October 9 (Monday) -- Columbus Day (U.S.)
November 10 (Friday) -- Veterans Day (U.S.)
November 23 (Thursday) -- Thanksgiving Day (U.S.)
December 25 (Monday) -- Christmas Day (U.S.)
*When a Ukrainian holiday falls on Saturday OR on Sunday, it is usually observed on Monday; when on Saturday AND on Sunday - it is usually observed on Monday and Tuesday.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine may make additional changes in the holiday schedule during the year.
SUBSCRIPTION TO AMERICAN CITIZENS SERVICES NEWSLETTER
To subscribe to our monthly newsletter and other updates, please register with the Embassy. You can do this online through the new Internet-Based Registration System (IBRS) directly at
http://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs or through a link on
http://TRAVEL.STATE.GOV. Please see above for more information on IBRS.
Published by the ACS Unit, Consular Section, U.S. Embassy Kyiv, Ukraine,
tel: (+38 044) 490-4422; fax: (+38 044) 490-4040; e-mail: acskiev@state.gov; website:
http://kiev.usembassy.gov; public hours: 8:30-12:30, Monday - Friday.
CONSULAR SECTION, U.S. EMBASSY KYIV, UKRAINE
6, M. PYMONENKA STR., KYIV 01901, UKRAINE
