Fake Syrian Passports Are Easy To Get and Cost Less Than $2,000

Terrorists are taking advantage of the refugee crisis in the most shocking way possible.

The suicide bomber who blew himself up in front of Stade de France in the recent Paris attacks, had a fake Syrian passport. According to French and Greek authorities, his fingerprints matched those of a man who had arrived on European shores from Turkey in early October. The Paris attacks have blown the lid off a counterfeit scam that is making it shockingly easy for anyone to get their hands on a fake Syrian passport.

According to an Al Jazeera report, social media sites are full of ads offering refugees of various nationalities, counterfeit Syrian documents including international driving licences, birth certificates, passports etc. Check out this video that shows exactly how a fake Syrian passport can be obtained.

Fraudulent Syrian passports are not new on the migratory route from Turkey through Europe. Since European countries have pledged to grant asylum to Syrian refugees, it has become a valuable item for those in other parts of the world, who are desperately seeking shelter. The Al Jazeera report successfully spotted one such Facebook post, asking those interested to establish contact via WhatsApp. The post reads:

“To all the Syrian brothers who are now in Istanbul. To whom it may concern and wants these documents and travel arrangements. Syrian and European passports. Legal and illegal travel, Syrian and international driving license. Ninth grade, high school, bachelors, and Masters Degrees. Family documents and birth certificates. All other needed documents. You can reach us on the whatsapp number *****”

The head of the European border agency Frontex Fabrice Leggeri, confirms that Syrian passports have indeed become a ticket to the European Union. Here’s another undercover video showcasing Syrians in Greece using fake IDs to get to Europe.

There are people who are in Turkey now who buy fake Syrian passports because they know Syrians get the right to asylum in all the member states of the European Union.

- Frontex Fabrice Leggeri, Head of European Border Agency (as reported by AFP)

Syrians themselves are buyers in the counterfeit market too. Coming from a war torn country, many might have fled without their documentation or just simply lost them in gunfire. As a result of the scam, legitimate Syrian refugees are also becoming targets for smugglers.

Earlier this year, a 27-year-old Algerian man named Hamza, revealed in an interview to the Post, that he was in Turkey when his passport was just destroyed and he was simply mixed up with the Syrian refugees. Hamza also explained that travelling with refugees was easy and that they were taken good care of. 

Here’s a video of Nick Fagge, a Daily Mail reporter, who reveals how he got his fake Syrian passport for about $2000.

This aspect of the refugee crisis poses a serious international security threat. While the Paris terrorists identified so far were all European Union nationals, that does not take away from the fact that many terrorists could pose as migrants and cross international borders. A 24-year-old migrant, also mentioned in Al Jazeera’s report, said that he was looking for a passport to travel to Europe for work. He paid $800 for it and it took just a few days to produce the counterfeit.

These revelations have increased scrutiny of the porous Greek maritime border, where over 6,70,000 asylum seekers have crossed over so far to reach Europe, according to the UN Refugee agency UNHCR.