Does the witness protection program fake deaths?

Well if they do it correctly, we would never know whether they fake deaths or not. It would only be if someone was recognized.

I believe they do. Especially with crimes where a witness or informant would be hunted down relentlessly if criminals thought he was alive.

Or if the criminal in question had powerful ties with the police, politics, or a lot of money - this would make it difficult to simply "hide" someone, so a faked death scneario would be beneficial.

I believe that is what happened to Tupac.