Counterfeit 1,000-baht notes found in central and east provinces

Counterfeit 1,000-baht notes have hit businesses hard in two provinces, with shop owners in Samut Songkhram and Ratchaburi reeling from the circulation of fake currency.

A warning has been issued to the community, along with guidance on how to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit banknotes. This follows a social media alert in Samut Songkhram Province about the spread of fake 1,000-baht notes in the area.

Upon investigation along the old Pak Tho road in Amphawa District, Samut Songkhram, a local food vendor, 63 year old Saharai shared her ordeal. She and her 42 year old daughter Saisuni who was busy preparing orders, are among the victims of this scam.

Saharai explained that on March 31, she unknowingly accepted nearly 10 counterfeit 1,000-baht notes. She discovered the fraud the next morning when she paid 7,700 baht at the market and was informed by other vendors that some of her notes were fake.

Saharai, still in shock, recalled that she could not identify the person who gave her the counterfeit money, as she regularly receives several 1,000-baht notes daily. Despite her vigilance, the fake notes slipped through, ending up in her cash drawer without immediate detection.

Saharai added that other shops along the old Pak Tho road in both Samut Songkhram and Ratchaburi have also received counterfeit 1,000-baht notes. She urges fellow traders to scrutinise any 1,000-baht notes they receive carefully.

According to Saharai, a clear difference is visible between the counterfeit and genuine notes. The fake bills tend to be a lighter shade of purple, the images blurry, and the paper softer than that of real banknotes, reported KhaoSod.

Furthermore, when a specific type of pen is used to mark the notes, a brown stain indicates a counterfeit, while a genuine note will show a faint yellow mark.

In related news, police arrested a Swedish man in the Patong sub-district of Katu district, Phuket province, after discovering that he exchanged money using fake euro banknotes. Patong Police Station officers received a complaint from an employer at the Violet Money Exchange 2 on Saen Saai Road that a Swedish man was exchanging money using counterfeit euro notes at 1.50pm on February 26.