3 foreigners caught using toy banknotes at Phuket entertainment venue
Police arrested three foreigners on April 1 after they attempted to settle a bill at an entertainment venue on Bangla Road in Phuket with toy banknotes. A staff member at the venue contacted police after detecting…
Three foreigners were arrested on April 1 after attempting to pay with toy banknotes at an entertainment venue on Bangla Road in Phuket, police said. The group presented three US$100 notes for food and drinks, prompting staff to alert authorities when the bills were found to be fake. The incident marks the latest in a series of counterfeit currency cases reported in Phuket.
Details of the Arrest and Counterfeit Notes
Venue staff prevented the suspects from leaving and examined the suspicious notes, which were later confirmed as counterfeit. Images shared by local media showed the bills were printed on standard paper, featured the word “Copy” in blue, and bore the phrase “For Toy Only” at the top.
Police have not disclosed the nationalities of the three men. Under Thai criminal law, those convicted of using counterfeit currency face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 200,000 baht.
Recent Counterfeit Currency Incidents in Phuket
In October last year, a foreign man exchanged fake pound sterling notes at a Phuket currency exchange, causing losses of nearly 40,000 baht. A separate case in November involved a Thai man tipping a party entertainer with 300 euros in counterfeit notes.
Similar toy banknote incidents have been reported in Pattaya, where two foreigners distributed fake US dollars at a market. The notes in both cases carried markings indicating they were intended for games, but no arrests have been made in the Pattaya incident.
Source: https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/3-foreigners-arrested-for-using-toy-dollar-banknotes-in-phuket
