Man tries to sell counterfeit $10k note to Chinatown shop, gets exposed immediately

A man tried to sell a counterfeit $10,000 note to a numismatic shop in Chinatown, but his plans were foiled by the eagle-eyed shop owners who called his bluff immediately. 

The shop owner's wife, surnamed Liao, told Shin Min Daily News that a suspicious man — who looked to be in his thirties or forties — entered their shop at People's Park Centre at about 12pm on Monday (Feb 19). 

He was accompanied by another woman. The man showed Liao a picture of a $10,000 note on his phone and asked if she was interested in buying it. 

"The man said the note belonged to his older sister, but I immediately knew it was a counterfeit and told him that the serial number on the note was wrong," said the 38-year-old. 

To prove her point, Liao pulled out a $10,000 note from her shop which carried the same serial number. 

"The man even exclaimed, 'It's exactly the same as mine!'" she said. 

The duo left the shop after being rejected by Liao. 

Liao's husband, surnamed Wu, told Shin Min that the same man was also seen making enquiries at other shops. 

"The other shop owners also warned us about them. They already told the man that his notes were counterfeit, so I don't know what he's trying to do." 

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Five other numismatic shops in the same mall told Shin Min that they were aware of the man. 

According to Liao, who has been running the business for 14 years, this isn't the first time that customers have tried to fool them with counterfeit currency. 

Just a month ago, someone also tried to sell her a fake $10,000 note. 

"I just told him it was counterfeit currency, and asked him not to bring it out. I was worried that he had been duped by someone else, so I didn't call the police." 

She added that there is a number of of counterfeit notes going around, so they have to be extra careful not to get duped. 

Explaining how she spotted the counterfeit this time, Liao said that the serial number on real $10,000 notes start with 'OAA' or 'OYI', but the note that the man brought in started with '2AA'. 

And even if customers do bring in real $10,000 notes, they aren't worth much as there are still many on the market. 

"Even if the real note is brand new and has no creases, you'll only be able to earn $50 to $100 from selling it," said Liao. 

In 2014, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced that they would stop issuing $10,000 notes to prevent money laundering. 

However, the $10,000 notes currently in circulation remain legal tender. 

Passers-by called the police

When a reporter from Shin Min visited the mall on Monday, two police officers were conducting investigations at Liao's shop.

"I think some passers-by must have heard our exchange [with the duo], and they were afraid that the pair would try to scam others with the counterfeit notes, so they called the police," said Liao. 

She added that her husband had given their shop's CCTV footage to the police. 

According to the footage seen by Shin Min, the man had an athletic build. He was wearing a black long-sleeved top and was carrying a red backpack. 

"They didn't look like locals, they were quite tan and sounded like Indonesians," recounted Liao. 

READ ALSO: 'It's a birthday present': Customer tries to sell fake Rolex for $40k, shop owner calls him out

claudiatan@asiaone.com