It’s common to see currency exchangers on Iraq’s streets, often near markets. In a country where banks can sometimes be hard to find and often closed, the market exchangers often give customers a better deal than licensed money changers. They’re also more readily available during holidays or when banks are closed in the afternoons.
A few months ago, money changers on the streets of Karbala began talking about what they called “the Polish currency gang”. Local police even warned market vendors about the gang. So Umm Mahmoud says she knew the risks she was taking.
“One of the gang members was wearing a dishdasha, one of the long robes that Arab men traditionally wear in the Gulf States and he was speaking the Arabic from that area,” Umm Mahmoud says. “I saw him coming – he was searching the market for somewhere to change money but it was noon and all the exchange shops were shut. So I offered to change some money for him. As we were talking, another man came by. He claimed to be from one of the exchange shops and said that 100 Polish zloty were worth IQD260,000.”
“I was the victim of a well orchestrated trick. Even the taxi driver was part of this scheme. He came back and confirmed that 100 zloty is worth IQD260,000. So I gave the first man over IQD5 million – in exchange for a currency that doesn’t exist anymore,” Umm Mahmoud laments. A new version of the Polish zloty was released in 1995, because of redenomination of older versions.
Another local money changer, Jawad al-Zaidi, has a similar story to tell. A man approached him in paint splattered workman’s clothing, saying that he worked for a Polish company in Karbala and that he wanted to change zlotys. Al-Zaidi didn’t trust him and refused. However later, another man arrived, saying he worked for the same company.
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