DUBAI // More than 1,000 people were found to have fake or forged passports at Dubai International Airport last year out of almost 48,000 suspected by officials.
The General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs staff handed over the documents of 47,910 travellers to the Expertise Centre Identity and Fraud Documents (ECIFD) at the airport, which found that 2 per cent, or 1,027, were fake or forged.
“We invest in our staff to get good skills. The officer must be able to recognise the security features of any passport in the world,” said Maj Gen Mohammed Al Marri, director general of the directorate in Dubai.
The 47,910 passports inspected in 2014 was down from the 64,652 in the previous year.
However, there was an increase in fake passports found, up from 968 in 2013, said Capt Abdullah Mohammad Al Mutawa, director of ECIFD.
He added that of the 1,027 fake passports, 818 were forged, 24 had been changed in some way and 185 were being used by someone other than the original owner.
In 2013, 765 were forged, 34 were changed and 169 were used by someone other than their owner.
Capt Al Mutawa said those who try to enter the UAE using forged documents are immediately sent back to the country they came from.
“The centre helps verify the identities of millions of travellers passing through Dubai airport each year,” he said, adding that the ECIFD has advanced systems to detect forgery. He also said that officers are trained to study body language to detect suspicious activity.
“We train the officers not only on recognising forged documents but also we train them in customer service,” said Capt Al Mutawa. “We want them to be very friendly because they are the first people visitors meet when they enter the country. The officers at the airport make the first impression on visitors.”
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