 UNDERSTANDING STATELESSNESS IN THE SYRIA REFUGEE CONTEXT 3.4.2 FALSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS Another common coping mechanism is to obtain documents fraudulently. The use of fake documents – which are often costly – or recording fraudulent information on documents is a growing practice.164 With the market for fraudulent documents also come scams by brokers. There are many families who have claimed that they have been duped by individuals who claim that they can offer help to families unaware of or unable to access procedures. Anecdotal reports suggest that the brokers request significant fees and then do not provide documents, or provide fake ones.165 In the Bekaa region of Lebanon, Najeeb had tried and failed to register the birth of his child who was over 12 months old. He did not know that there was a deadline and had no time to register his son before. He did not know how to go through the court system, nor could he afford this. Outside the personal status department he was approached by a man who said he could assist Najeeb in completing the process. Najeeb claims he gave the man US$500 to obtain a marriage certificate for him and birth certificate for his son. However, these never materialised and he lost contact with the broker. 166 164 For instance, interview with Personal Status Department, Erbil KRI, July 2016 and Mokhtar, Baalback Lebanon, July 2016. 165 NRC, The challenges of birth registration in Lebanon for refugees from Syria, supra n15, page 25 and interview with Qandil, Erbil KRI, July 2016. 166 Interview with Najeeb, Baalback Lebanon, May 2016. 34 RESEARCH REPORT