The "fake dollar scandal" shaking Turkey is growing.

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Turkey is shaken by a counterfeiting crisis that has brought physical dollar trading to a standstill. 'Fake dollars' cannot be distinguished from the real ones by the machines in exchange offices and banks. Recent information suggests that the situation may be much more extensive and organized than initially thought.

THE CITY WHERE THE INCIDENT FIRST ERUPTED: GAZIANTEP

According to a report by Habertürk, sources providing information on the matter shared that the counterfeit dollar banknotes are believed to have been smuggled into Turkey through illegal routes from the southeastern border. It is thought that the first transactions with counterfeit dollars were made in more touristy areas such as Antalya, Izmir, Antep, and Istanbul. The city where the incident first erupted is claimed to be Gaziantep, as it stands out as the province with the highest trade activity related to Syria and Iraq.

THEY TRIED TO PURCHASE CRYPTOCURRENCY

It has been learned that one of the first major incidents involving these counterfeit dollars occurred during a cryptocurrency purchase in Antalya. For some time, those trading with Russia and various Arab countries have been making their payments with a cryptocurrency equivalent to 1 dollar, called Tether (USDT).

Various exchange offices are selling Tether in exchange for dollars and euros. In this controversial practice, they provide customers with these cryptocurrencies through cold wallets. According to sources, there was an attempt to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrency in Antalya recently. However, this time the purchases were made with counterfeit dollars that the machines in the exchange office could not detect. Those trying to introduce the fake money wanted to take advantage of the inadequacy of the money counting machines in the exchange offices. The counterfeit money, which the machines in banks also failed to detect, was only noticed by experts who examined it very carefully by hand.

DOZENS OF ARRESTS IN THE CONTEXT OF TERROR FINANCING

In various provinces, especially Istanbul, security units have been monitoring issues such as the purchase of illegal gold with counterfeit dollars in exchange offices as part of operations initiated on the allegations of money laundering and financing of terrorism. As a result of the investigation, the Istanbul Police recently detained dozens of individuals related to the matter.

IT MAY EXCEED A BILLION DOLLARS

In response to these incidents, banks and exchange offices have almost completely halted physical dollar trading, and it was initially estimated that the counterfeit dollars introduced into the market could amount to 600 million dollars. However, sources indicated that this amount could exceed a billion dollars. Due to the discussions surrounding counterfeit money, large-scale currency transactions in exchange offices and banks have come to a standstill.

"SOFTWARE UPDATES FOR MONEY COUNTING MACHINES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED"

Yesterday, Mustafa Ünver, a board member of the Association of All Authorized Institutions and Exchange Offices (TÜYEMDER), stated regarding the incidents, "In order to avoid misunderstandings and to prevent citizens from being victimized, exchange offices and authorized institutions have temporarily halted the buying and selling of 50 dollar and the previous print of 100 dollar bills. Software updates will be implemented for the money counting machines related to these. I estimate it will probably take about a week to 10 days," he said.

"A NEARLY ONE-TO-ONE COUNTERFEITING"

Ünver emphasized that the printed counterfeit dollars are nearly one-to-one in counterfeiting, making it impossible for an ordinary citizen who is not an expert on the subject to understand, and stated:

"Imagine two pieces of money. One is printed by the mint, and the other is printed by a place similar to the mint. The materials, clichés, and paper quality are made so similarly that they have very small details. When experts examine these in detail, it becomes apparent, and it is difficult for an ordinary citizen who is not an expert on the subject to understand. We are talking about a counterfeiting that is nearly one-to-one in the market. Because they pass through devices, ATMs, and bank money counting machines. Not all of them, but some can pass. Therefore, our sector has also taken such precautionary measures."

WARNING BROCHURES POSTED IN THE GRAND BAZAAR

Meanwhile, some exchange offices in the Grand Bazaar have posted warning brochures regarding banknotes that their money counting machines cannot distinguish from the real ones. The poster, which uses visuals of 100 and 50 dollar bills, states, "Due to the fakes in the market, the money in the visuals will not be accepted."