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Idlib residents resort to virtual coins to make ends meet

Residents of the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria have resorted to digital currency to make some money by using only a cellphone connected to the internet.
Abu Walid warms his living room with a pistachio-powered heater in Tal al-Karama village, in northwestern province of Idlib, Syria, Dec. 6, 2019.

Collecting virtual coins in northern Syria has become a way to earn money online through several applications, with monthly profits reaching up to $200. 

All that is needed is a cellphone with access to the internet. In order to collect coins an application should be installed and an account created. Subsequently, the user joins voice chat rooms and collects gifts sent by the administrators, converts them into coins and resells them to specific telecommunication shops.

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