By: Dawda Baldeh
Haddy Njie, a local Bureau De Change worker, finds herself in distress after unidentified men left her with counterfeit dollar notes amounting to $600 in Brikama and absconded with D37,850.
Reportedly, the unidentified men arrived in a yellow taxi at the bureau on Wednesday, February 22nd, where they exchanged the fake dollar notes for Gambian dalasis.
Haddy, who relies on her modest salary to support her family, expressed profound anguish over the incident, stating that the obligation to repay the money weighs heavily on her.
“The two men visited my bureau to exchange foreign currency. When asked about the dollar exchange rate, I informed them that it was 67 dalasis per dollar. One of them indicated they wanted to exchange $600, but I didn’t have enough funds at the bureau at the time.
“They suggested I exchange $300 for them, and when my boss sent the money, they requested to exchange the remaining $600. I informed them that I didn’t have enough funds and could only exchange $550, equivalent to D37,850…” she explained.
To her dismay, it was later discovered by her boss, during the reconciliation of daily transactions, that the dollar notes were counterfeit.
“When I balanced the accounts, my boss informed me that the dollar notes were fake. I was shocked and speechless. It’s difficult to discern; the notes appeared genuine… When I attempted to contact the number they provided, a lady answered and claimed not to know anyone named Alhagie who had visited the bureau for currency exchange,” she recounted.
Despite making repeated calls, the person who answered accused them of being a nuisance and instructed them not to call again.
“The next day, I called again, and the woman, who resides in Farafenni, reported the matter to the police.
“The two men provided fake contact details, and even the names they provided were fictitious,” she added.
This incident adds to Haddy’s financial strain as she was already repaying debts after mistakenly overpaying an elderly woman a few weeks prior.
“Just a few weeks ago, an elderly woman came to exchange Euros, and I inadvertently overpaid her. I attempted to recover the excess payment, but unfortunately, it proved futile,” she informed The Fatu Network.
Haddy revealed that her monthly salary is meager, and she hasn’t received payment for the past month due to the previous overpayment incident.
“Since this ordeal, I haven’t slept. I’ve spent the days in tears, as I’m now working solely to repay debts without any personal benefit.
“My family relies on my income, but it’s disheartening to encounter such dishonest individuals,” she lamented.
Haddy emphasized that repaying D37,850 is an immense burden for her. “This means I’ll be working the entire year to settle this debt,” she remarked.
Distressed, saddened, and frustrated, Haddy appeals for assistance in recovering the debt she now owes the company, urging the public to come forward with any information regarding the perpetrators.
“According to company policy, any mistakes resulting in overpayment are deducted from your salary, which is particularly painful for me as a young woman striving to make ends meet,” she concluded.
