A bundle of counterfeit 1,000-baht notes have hit the streets and consumers should be wary, the Bank of Thailand warned today.
The bills have been turning up in various places since Raksina Chittawech, a tea shop owner in Phuket received one of the fake banknotes last week. She then uploaded a warning onto YouTube, and word spread like wildfire across the nation, according to the Phuket Gazette.
“If you are not sure whether a banknote you have been handed is real or fake, you can it to a bank or report it to police,” said Peerayuth Karajedee, deputy commander of the Phuket Provincial Police.
People are advised to check for security features: The fake notes were easily detected because they didn’t bear a watermark of the king. Also, on real notes, the watermark can be seen on either side of the white space.
According to the bank, authentic notes are made from a different kind of paper that endures wear and tear, and the denomination numbers are raised to the touch, Thai PBS reported. Several banknotes found have the same serial number: 9A3828862.
Ignoring suspicion about fake currency and not going to police could land innocent people in trouble, Peerayuth warned.
“Please do so, because if you are caught passing a fake banknote to another person, you can be charged with passing on counterfeit currency,” he said.
Deliberate use of counterfeit currency is punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment.
