Thais arrested for making 9,000 fake US$100 bills

Cyberpolice today reported that a Thai man and a Thai woman were arrested for making fake US$100 bills worth US$900,000 or 34 million baht.

A United States Secret Service officer from the US Embassy in Bangkok ran a check over the bills and reported that they were very realistic.

The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Torsak Sookwimon, reported the arrest details to the media today.

Torsak said the police were notified by several local money exchange shops that they were lured into buying fake dollar bills via social media.

Torsak revealed that the police posed as customers and made an appointment with a fake dollar bill seller at a condominium in the Pak Kret district of Nonthaburi province in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok.

A 49 year old woman, Monsagee La-ong-nuan, appeared at the condominium with a black tote bag that was packed with 2,000 fake US$100 banknotes.

Monsagee was arrested and questioned. She confessed that she bought the fake banknotes from a 58 year old man, Phanudeth Wongnamnong, who lived in the Phra Bath district of Lampang in the northern part of Thailand.

Police, posing as a customer, made an appointment with Phanudeth at a shopping mall in Lampang. The officer seized 7,000 more fake bills from Phanudeth.

Police seized 9,000 fake banknotes in total worth US$900,000 or 34 million baht.

The two scammers were charged under Section 240 and Section 247 of the Criminal Laws related to counterfeiting and alteration: counterfeiting a coin, banknote, or any other thing issued by a foreign government.

The two face imprisonment of up to five to ten years and a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 baht.

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