Palestinians fight back against currency counterfeiters
Gaza officials say counterfeiting there is mostly limited to small-time operators, though sometimes high-quality foreign forgeries slip in.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Scrutinizing banknotes has become common in the Gaza Strip, as citizens have been increasingly subjected to fraud and deceit lately. Counterfeit notes and coins often circulate among ordinary citizens, while the money's main sources remain unknown.
Col. Mohammed Ashour, the director of the forensics department at Gaza’s Ministry of the Interior, told Al-Monitor, “The crime lab is working on detecting all forms of counterfeiting and forgery, including documents, banknotes and passports.”
Ashour said that counterfeit currencies are confiscated by the ministry's general investigation department after citizens, banks and exchange houses report them. He said there is no unit specialized in detecting counterfeit currency, as is the case with stolen gold. Yet gold is easier to control, since it is sold in specific stores.
"Some counterfeit currencies are detectable by the citizens’ naked eye, as they differ significantly from the genuine ones, while other bills can only be spotted with special devices,” Ashour said.
