KUWAIT, Jul 13 (Kuwait Times): A number of counterfeit KD 20, KD 10 and KD 1 notes have recently been discovered in general circulation in Kuwait. One money exchange company in Kuwait City yesterday received a fake KD 10 note as part of a payment from an unidentified customer. A staff member explained that the note, a convincing forgery, was only spotted as a fake when it failed to return to its original form and texture after being crumpled. "I wonder how we weren't able to detect it," she told the Kuwait Times. "We received it only today. The problem is that we have to repay the amount [of any fake notes] from our own pockets.
Just a week ago, a local jewelry shop owner was conned in a similar fashion when an unidentified customer paid for KD 300 worth of jewelry with cash, including a number of counterfeit KD 20 notes. While banks and large currency exchange outlets across Kuwait are equipped with counterfeit detection equipment, smaller exchanges and shops are not.
The problem is in transactions with taxi drivers or butchers' shops, for example," said one female expatriate who works for a local firm. "How can I detect or know that I'm receiving the genuine bills and not counterfeits?" In a bid to answer this question, the Kuwait Times spoke with Major Jassem Safar, a Ministry of Interior officer and specialist in this field, who admitted that a number of counterfeit banknotes are currently in circulation in Kuwait.
We seized some fake KD 20, KD 10 and KD 1 notes about a year ago and we still receive some reports about forged money," he said. "I think the previous counterfeiters were already apprehended, but since some of that money was already in circulation, this [the counterfeit notes still in circulation] might be the so-called remnants.
Major Safar explained that it's quite easy to detect these forged notes since the paper is similar to ordinary writing paper rather than the special paper used for banknotes. Calling the forged notes "recognizable," he said, "In real banknotes we use obviously different types of paper that are completely unique, and security features are built into them. All you need to do is look at the quality of the counterfeit money being received.
He advised those with any doubt about banknotes they've been given to report them immediately: "If in doubt, go to the nearest police station and they'll help you check whether the money is counterfeit or not," he said. Maj. Safar ascribed the larger amount of counterfeit notes around these days to the spread of advanced technology, which can now easily make far clearer copies of banknotes that look exactly like the real thing.
The problem we're facing now is the fact that technology somehow helps these crooked individuals to carry out forgery operations - they can easily copy the money," he asserted. Maj. Safar warned those tempted to use fake bank notes, even in small amounts, not do so, saying that the law will not be suspended for anyone found to be acting illegally. "We continue to apply the law," he said. "If we catch anyone using counterfeit money in transactions and they're proven guilty, they'll be imprisoned for between three and seven years, regardless of the amount used in the transaction.