Foreign man scams Phuket exchange shops with fake pound banknotes
Staff recount encounters with foreign suspect targeting multiple exchange booths
Several money exchange shops in Phuket collectively lost nearly 40,000 baht to a foreign man who exchanged counterfeit banknotes.
The Phuket Times Facebook page reported that it received multiple alerts from exchange shops across the island and issued a warning to the online community today, October 6, to prevent further victims.
A photograph of the foreign suspect was included in the post, but his identity and nationality were not disclosed.
According to the report, the man exchanged counterfeit pound sterling banknotes at several exchange shops and counters in Phuket’s Patong area. Some staff members failed to detect that the notes were fake, resulting in total losses of nearly 40,000 baht.
In the comment section, netizens claiming to work at exchange shops shared their encounters with the suspect. They said….
“Yesterday (October 5), he came to my shop in the Chalong area, but I refused to make the exchange.”
“Last night, he came to exchange pound sterling at my shop in Saiyuan, but I detected the counterfeit bills.”
Other netizens urged the police to fast-track an investigation and arrest the foreign suspect before he could flee the country or commit further crimes. Some also criticised Thailand’s visa-free policy, claiming it led to an increase in the number of foreign criminals in Phuket and other tourist destinations.
As of now, there has been no official report regarding the suspect’s arrest or further developments in the police investigation.
Multiple cases involving fake banknotes made headlines previously. In March, two foreign women were caught after attempting to exchange fake US dollars at a shop near Cape Panwa Hotel in Phuket.
In June, an American man was arrested for trying to exchange fake US dollars for Thai baht at an exchange booth near Jomtien Beach in Pattaya.
In January, police arrested an Israeli man in Pattaya for his attempt to exchange fake US dollar banknotes.
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