GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Fadi Kassab, a 31-year-old Palestinian from Gaza City, noticed on Facebook an advertisement that read, “Frozen dollars are available at half price … every $10,000 are sold at $5,000. Contact us on WhatsApp for the immediate delivery to any Arab country.” Kassab called the number to buy the "frozen dollars" at half price, in the hope of making money really quick, but instead he fell into a trap designed to steal his money.
An anonymous seller in Turkey offered to sell him an amount of $200 in exchange for $100. Indeed, the seller sent Kassab $200, which he exchanged for Israeli shekels in the Gaza Strip. That encouraged him to purchase $10,000 for only $5,000.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, Kassab said, “The seller who told me he was in Turkey asked me to send him $5,000 via Western Union in order for him to send me 10,000 frozen dollars. I waited for more than two hours and did not receive anything. When I tried to contact the seller, the phone number was out of service. This is when I realized I was ripped off.”
He added, “I tried to contact the seller in different ways, but failed to do so. I contacted the cybercrimes unit at the Interior Ministry in Gaza. They advised me not to file a complaint, as I could be held accountable and imprisoned for money laundering."
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