Chiang Rai News
Chiang Rai Vendors Lay a Beating to Indian National distributing Fake Bt500 Notes
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CHIANG RAI – Pol Lt Gen Worayuth Kanthasorn, a duty inspector of Mueang Chiang Rai police station, has detained an Indian National for distributing fake 500 baht notes around the city.
The India National only identified as Suress, 40, was detained after police were called to a scene in downtown Chiang Rai were street vendors had attacked and beaten the suspect for distributing the notes.
According to Thai Visa, the vendors claimed that Mr.Suress used fake notes several times earlier in the day, so they posted his information on Facebook to warn other vendors.
They described the look of the Indian tourist on their posts so when Mr. Suress appeared at the night market Saturday night, he was recognized.
A quick way to spot a fake Thai banknote is to compare it with other notes in your wallet. While looking quite authentic, the feel of a fake is different than that of a real one and, if you wet the note, the color will run. The real notes also have a holographic strip on the left hand side and, yes, they are a larger size.
Don’t be surprised if you try to spend money while in Thailand and find the stall owner suddenly rubbing your note furiously with a finger, or dabbing it with a wet cloth. Most Thai sellers are adept at finding fake notes, as they do periodically surface, and if they try to deposit them in a bank account they are the ones who will lose money.
The best way to avoid being passed a fake note, especially for the more valuable 1,000 baht notes, is to only exchange foreign currency at a Thai bank as notes should have been checked for authenticity. With 1,000 baht notes, you won’t be passed any in your change as they are the note with the highest value in Thailand. However, do check any 100 baht notes to be sure someone unscrupulous isn’t trying to palm one off on you.