News Forum - Police seize 36,000 fake US$100 bills and printing machines in a series of raids

[Thaiger]

In a transnational investigation into a large counterfeit bill operation, Thailand’s Police Cyber Task Force teamed up with the US Secret Service in Bangkok, seizing offset printing machines and tens of thousands of counterfeit $100 bills in early November. The investigation was launched after authorities noticed an uptick in banknote forgeries in Thailand. A source also tipped off authorities, saying most of the counterfeit bills were being produced in Southeast Asia. In a series of raids over a few days, police arrested of eight people and the seized of numerous printing presses, according to the head of the US Secret Service […]

The story Police seize 36,000 fake US$100 bills and printing machines in a series of raids as seen on Thaiger News.

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[mickkotlarski]

Good recommendations on spotting the counterfeit notes especially the colour change when tilting the bank notes. The embedded thread is also a good criteria but the difficulty is who will check new notes every time they exchange dollars or get change received?

[Stardust]

  On 11/29/2021 at 6:58 AM, mickkotlarski said:

Good recommendations on spotting the counterfeit notes especially the colour change when tilting the bank notes. The embedded thread is also a good criteria but the difficulty is who will check new notes every time they exchange dollars or get change received?

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I was thinkin exactly the same, who controls that all the time and what happen you have one of this notes not knowing is a false one and pay with it.

[mickkotlarski]

  On 11/29/2021 at 7:03 AM, Stardust said:

I was thinkin exactly the same, who controls that all the time and what happen you have one of this notes not knowing is a false one and pay with it.

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I heard that if you declare it to the bank they replace the note but then they must report to authorities and you get a dozen questions. If get caught in undeclared possession you may be become a suspect or you may not but you get the dozen questions for sure.

[Stardust]

  On 11/29/2021 at 7:05 AM, mickkotlarski said:

I heard that if you declare it to the bank they replace the note but then they must report to authorities and you get a dozen questions. If get caught in undeclared possession you may be become a suspect or you may not but you get the dozen questions for sure.

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So many can come in trouble, because as you mention who controls all the time his notes including myself. In this case is about usd but I was also thinking about Baht and I guess most of us wouldn't even know if they get one if it is not seen clearly in the first moment. Who looks on every note for the watersign etc.?

[Rookiescot]

  On 11/29/2021 at 7:05 AM, mickkotlarski said:

I heard that if you declare it to the bank they replace the note but then they must report to authorities and you get a dozen questions. If get caught in undeclared possession you may be become a suspect or you may not but you get the dozen questions for sure.

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Years ago I had to deposit a load of Bank of England 20 pound notes into someones account over here when on holiday.

Went into the bank with the persons details and the pile of cash and explained I need to pay all this into this account. No problem. Sat down at a table while they used some machine to count them all. Machine spat one out. Upon closer inspection it was a fake. I didnt think it was a big deal as I was just going to take it back to the guy in the UK and give him it back explaining it was a dud.

Bank manager comes out and starts shouting "Why you try to steal my money?" he was also shouting something in Thai which flew over my head but the locals definitely found it interesting.

I dont think he was prepared for either the volume or indeed velocity at which an irate Scotsman can swear. I even threw in some Gaelic swearwords just to make sure the job was complete. I will wager that to this day he is still wondering what a "total bawbag" is.

[Shade_Wilder]

"Cotton, rather than paper, is used as the primary raw material for the $100 bills. Because of the difference in substance, the actual one can still be used if it is washed.

When the banknote is held up to the light, the watermark with Benjamin Franklin’s portrait in the blank space on the right side will be readily apparent.

If the bill is held up to the light, an embedded thread running vertically along the left side will reveal the letters USA and the numeral 100.

Last, the color of the numeral 100 in the lower right corner of the front of the banknote will change from green to black when tilted."

Wow! This is an incredibly useful article; I was wondering where I was going wrong.

It is so hard to get constructive feedback in my line of work...

[mickkotlarski]

  On 11/29/2021 at 7:24 AM, Rookiescot said:

Years ago I had to deposit a load of Bank of England 20 pound notes into someones account over here when on holiday.

Went into the bank with the persons details and the pile of cash and explained I need to pay all this into this account. No problem. Sat down at a table while they used some machine to count them all. Machine spat one out. Upon closer inspection it was a fake. I didnt think it was a big deal as I was just going to take it back to the guy in the UK and give him it back explaining it was a dud.

Bank manager comes out and starts shouting "Why you try to steal my money?" he was also shouting something in Thai which flew over my head but the locals definitely found it interesting.

I dont think he was prepared for either the volume or indeed velocity at which an irate Scotsman can swear. I even threw in some Gaelic swearwords just to make sure the job was complete. I will wager that to this day he is still wondering what a "total bawbag" is.

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Hard to believe this man was a manger. He deserved to be called a bawbag.

I think he was simply taking enjoyment from yelling at an expat and nothing more. The police would have been called in or he would have reported it. 

Still though glad you gave him some back with a decent volume behind it.

[mickkotlarski]

  On 11/29/2021 at 7:30 AM, Shade_Wilder said:

"Cotton, rather than paper, is used as the primary raw material for the $100 bills. Because of the difference in substance, the actual one can still be used if it is washed.

When the banknote is held up to the light, the watermark with Benjamin Franklin’s portrait in the blank space on the right side will be readily apparent.

If the bill is held up to the light, an embedded thread running vertically along the left side will reveal the letters USA and the numeral 100.

Last, the color of the numeral 100 in the lower right corner of the front of the banknote will change from green to black when tilted."

Wow! This is an incredibly useful article; I was wondering where I was going wrong.

It is so hard to get constructive feedback in my line of work...

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Apparently Thai bank notes have a percentage of cotton in their composition. But whether paper, paper-cotton or plastic or must be washable by most nations laws (nothing to do with money laundering though).

[Jason]

Time for the US mint to work on better security measures for the currency!

[mickkotlarski]

  On 11/29/2021 at 7:24 AM, Rookiescot said:

Years ago I had to deposit a load of Bank of England 20 pound notes into someones account over here when on holiday.

Went into the bank with the persons details and the pile of cash and explained I need to pay all this into this account. No problem. Sat down at a table while they used some machine to count them all. Machine spat one out. Upon closer inspection it was a fake. I didnt think it was a big deal as I was just going to take it back to the guy in the UK and give him it back explaining it was a dud.

Bank manager comes out and starts shouting "Why you try to steal my money?" he was also shouting something in Thai which flew over my head but the locals definitely found it interesting.

I dont think he was prepared for either the volume or indeed velocity at which an irate Scotsman can swear. I even threw in some Gaelic swearwords just to make sure the job was complete. I will wager that to this day he is still wondering what a "total bawbag" is.

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Actually when dealing with Thai banks and exchanging bank notes there is something I never get a straight answer for. How much damage of a bank note must be noticed in order for the bank to reject it? 3% damage such as cut corners or decolouration etc. Tellers will gladly refuse a damaged foreign note but never have a definitive answer as to how much damage to a bill is permissible.

[Rookiescot]

  On 11/29/2021 at 8:05 AM, mickkotlarski said:

Actually when dealing with Thai banks and exchanging bank notes there is something I never get a straight answer for. How much damage of a bank note must be noticed in order for the bank to reject it? 3% damage such as cut corners or decolouration etc. Tellers will gladly refuse a damaged foreign note but never have a definitive answer as to how much damage to a bill is permissible.

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My understanding is they will take worn notes but not ones which have been written on.

Which is odd because many of the Thai Baht notes I get have been written on.

Seems to be a different standard with foreign currency though.

[kmc]

I saw a banded 10,000 usd in a market in phnom penh.  Looked pretty legit and was definitely tempted to buy...

[riclag]

  On 11/29/2021 at 3:52 PM, kmc said:

I saw a banded 10,000 usd in a market in phnom penh.  Looked pretty legit and was definitely tempted to buy...

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Taking a chance of going to a third world countries prison system, isn’t worth 10k ,100k or 1 mill dollars!

Your better half spoke to the temptations!

[JohninDublin]

  On 11/29/2021 at 7:03 AM, Stardust said:

I was thinkin exactly the same, who controls that all the time and what happen you have one of this notes not knowing is a false one and pay with it.

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A lot of the electronic counting used in are programmed to detect forgeries.

I've not had a lot of experience of handling USD. When I have, it's usually been in Cam. Some of the exchanges around the Russian Market put there own "trade mark" on the back of $100's and $50's on the back of the bill in the corner margin, The reason being that if you find a dud in your wallet, they can tell whether you acquired it from them or not. I think that's more about protecting themselves from the police, than to support any refund policy.

[JohninDublin]

  On 11/29/2021 at 4:19 PM, riclag said:

Taking a chance of going to a third world countries prison system, isn’t worth 10k ,100k or 1 mill dollars!

Your better half spoke to the temptations!

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Did you check the rear of the notes? Reason I ask was I have seen many shops using these for promotions. There is usually an ad on the rear of these $100's.

[palooka]

  On 11/29/2021 at 8:05 AM, mickkotlarski said:

Actually when dealing with Thai banks and exchanging bank notes there is something I never get a straight answer for. How much damage of a bank note must be noticed in order for the bank to reject it? 3% damage such as cut corners or decolouration etc. Tellers will gladly refuse a damaged foreign note but never have a definitive answer as to how much damage to a bill is permissible.

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If you ever have the chance or inclination to go to Myanmar you have to take pristine US dollar notes, some numbers they reject also, no folds even, a lot will reject the smallest damage and when they do accept them they give you the dirtiest notes they have in exchange unless you put up a stink.

[Fluke]

  On 11/30/2021 at 1:54 AM, palooka said:

If you ever have the chance or inclination to go to Myanmar you have to take pristine US dollar notes, some numbers they reject also, no folds even, a lot will reject the smallest damage and when they do accept them they give you the dirtiest notes they have in exchange unless you put up a stink.

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That isnt quite correct , I have been to Myanmar many times and never once did they refuse to exchange any U.S $ 

[palooka]

  On 11/30/2021 at 2:13 AM, Fluke said:

That isnt quite correct , I have been to Myanmar many times and never once did they refuse to exchange any U.S $ 

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2018 I went there and 3 US $100 were rejected by the hotel I was staying at. 1 for something about the numbers, one I had in my wallet for 3 or 4 days and was a little creased around the edges and the third had 4 cross note creases.

[palooka]

  On 11/30/2021 at 2:13 AM, Fluke said:

That isnt quite correct , I have been to Myanmar many times and never once did they refuse to exchange any U.S $ 

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9 Must Know Myanmar Travel Tips - 2021 - GETTING STAMPED

Pristine US Dollar Bill (consult-myanmar.com)

3. TAKE MONEY OUT AT THE ATM

Back in 2012, Myanmar didn’t have a single ATM machine, and tourists had to bring new USD bills in pristine condition and exchange money in Myanmar. This is no longer the situation. Now in 2020, there are over 1,000 ATM machines in Myanmar.

[Fluke]

  On 11/30/2021 at 2:27 AM, palooka said:

2018 I went there and 3 US $100 were rejected by the hotel I was staying at. 1 for something about the numbers, one I had in my wallet for 3 or 4 days and was a little creased around the edges and the third had 4 cross note creases.

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I used to go there every two weeks for a few years  and never once had U.S $ rejected for exchange .............................

    I have a problem , when I type this line through my words appears, how do I get rid of it ?

[palooka]

  On 11/30/2021 at 2:35 AM, Fluke said:

I used to go there every two weeks for a few years  and never once had U.S $ rejected for exchange .............................

    I have a problem , when I type this line through my words appears, how do I get rid of it ?

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Early 2018 I was advised there were very few atms and poor credit card facilities, bit hit and miss. Seems they now have about 1,000 atms for the whole country which still makes them scarce.  Thailand has about 90,000.

Apologises have gone off topic.

[mickkotlarski]

  On 11/30/2021 at 1:54 AM, palooka said:

If you ever have the chance or inclination to go to Myanmar you have to take pristine US dollar notes, some numbers they reject also, no folds even, a lot will reject the smallest damage and when they do accept them they give you the dirtiest notes they have in exchange unless you put up a stink.

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Very good point. I worked in Kenya for 2 years and visa on arrival must be paid in US$ cash with pristine notes. Thank you Palooka.

[Fluke]

  On 11/30/2021 at 2:43 AM, palooka said:

Early 2018 I was advised there were very few atms and poor credit card facilities, bit hit and miss. Seems they now have about 1,000 atms for the whole country which still makes them scarce.  Thailand has about 90,000.

Apologises have gone off topic.

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I always took Thai Baht and spent that , I don't think that I've ever handled Burmese money 

[AussieBob]

US Secret Service was involved ??  Very unlikely.  I think 'lost in translation' applies there and the Thai Colonel/Policeman meant other US 'policing services'.