ABU DHABI // Counterfeit money, fraudulent passports and fake documents are not petty crime transactions taking place in dark alleys - they are multimillion dollar operations by organised criminal gangs with the resources to fool governments, said Major Amal Mohammed, head of the documentation unit at the Forensics Science Department. She walks into the room waving hundreds of crisp Dh500 bills. "Without giving you details, this is a recent case of Dh95,000 counterfeited. Our own currency," she said, handing over one of the notes.
However sophisticated, a counterfeited currency can never be identical to the real thing because only one plate is used to print the authentic currency. "Still, to the untrained eye, you would never know the difference." Under some of the most advanced magnification and lighting equipment, however, the flaws in a forged note are as clear as daylight. "Not only can we tell the note is fake, but we can even tell you that these notes are from the same exact printer and what kind of printer it is, done by the same exact artist, from a previous case," she said.
Under examination, the unit is able to identify not only if a note is counterfeit, but the style of letter patterns, the paper, the ink, the absorption rate, the heat rate and the mistakes that help to profile the organisations behind the crime. When the old Dh200 bill became a major target of counterfeited crimes, "it was changed in May 2008 with a lot more security features", Major Mohammed said.
As Abu Dhabi's economic and financial market emerges as a world leader, it is becoming a target for organised crime. "What we know is that these crimes happen for the sole purpose of profitability." "I can only say there are other countries who specialise in these crimes. The challenge is how to work with their governments to bring an end to this," she said. Many people in less privileged countries will often pay their life's savings to get what they think is a flawless counterfeited passport. Only when they arrive at the port of entry do they realise that, not only were they fooled and robbed, but they will have to spend the next six months behind bars, after which they will be deported. Such cases clog the courts across the country.
The vast majority of counterfeit papers come from the subcontinent. "The three major nationalities, and by major I mean 80 to 90 per cent, of all the fake passports are Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi and so far their only motive of entering is for working because of the situation in their own country," said Major Mohammed. Those using stolen European passports with changed photographs rarely stay in the UAE. "Those people are usually trying to escape their own country and want to use Abu Dhabi as a transit point, thinking it's an easy target. They are in for a shock," added Major Mohammed.
myoussef@thenational.ae
