On Monday, July 8, police arrested a man who reported for the use of fake S$50 notes while out shopping.
To make matters worse, the suspect had allegedly printed the counterfeit bills himself, using his own home printer.
On July 5, the police responded to calls and given a report that several counterfeit notes were circulating around Upper Bukit Timah Road. The suspect in question, a 57-year-old man, was brought in for investigations.
Police have since found out that the suspect used fake S$50 notes, which he allegedly printed himself, to purchase items of “low value” on at least two separate occasions.
Further investigations into the suspect revealed six pieces of counterfeit S$50 bills, which police confiscated along with a printer, printing paper and some clothing.
If found guilty for using counterfeit notes in place of real currency bills, he could face up to 20 years of jail time and a hefty fine. He will be charged today.
Police continue to ask citizens to be vigilant and on the alert for counterfeit notes that are in circulation in Singapore.
Just last month, as we previously reported, police issued a public warning advising people to be on the lookout for counterfeit Singapore currency notes after fake S$100 and S$50 notes surfaced.
The fake bills were used for payment at restaurants, convenience stores and other outlets.
The fake notes were believed to be photocopies of real notes and lacked major security features such as the watermark and security threads.
Important reminders from the police when it comes to reporting the sighting of counterfeit bills:
1) If you see someone handling or dealing with counterfeit bills, pay attention to the details of their appearance. Note their gender, race, age, height, built, clothing, tattoos or identifying marks (if any), as well as their spoken language.
2) If the person is using a vehicle, note down details such as colour, brand, make, registration number.
3) If you feel or sense that a bill on your possession is fake, do not use them. Keep the bill or bills covered. Place them in an envelope or between bits of paper to minimise handling and further damage and tampering of the suspected counterfeit bills before they are handed over to the police.
4) If you have any information on counterfeit bills, please call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or report online at http://www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
While the punishment for using counterfeit bills is a fine and possible jail time of up to 20 years, merely having fake notes in your possession and not reporting them to the police could garner you prison time of up to 15 years. /TISG