Worst fakes ever? Sharp rise in HK$100 bills made with basic ink-jet printers on A4 paper

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Police warned the public about low quality, fake banknotes in small denominations yesterday, as the number of HK$100 counterfeits jumped more than four times in the first nine months of this year from the same period last year.

The fakes, which grew to 923 pieces from 221, were made on ink-jet printers at the homes of individual conmen.

Chief Inspector Tommy Cheng Ka-wai, an expert in counterfeit notes with the commercial crime bureau, said the quality of the fake notes was so poor that members of the public would be able to notice the difference using the naked eye or by touch in two seconds.

“The fake bills were printed on normal A4 paper. Swindlers scrunched them up so that people could not feel the smooth surface,” Cheng said yesterday, adding that there could be a small circulation in the market.

The bogus notes lack an embossed feel and security features. Silver marks were stuck on the notesto appear like the holographic security thread on real bills and the HK$100 numeral also failed to turn gold and green when viewed from different angles.

Cheng said 70 per cent of the HK$100 counterfeits were netted between June and last month. Many of them were reported by banks or members of the public.

“Instead of a huge production, the conmen made the fakes piece by piece and slowly circulated them in the market to avoid causing suspiciousness,” Cheng said.

Officers also seized 219 bogus HK$50 notes and 91 HK$20 fakes in the first nine months, which doubled the amount netted over the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the number of large-denomination counterfeits of HK$1,000 and HK$500 seized went down by 73 per cent and 52 per cent to 202 and 355 respectively. Cheng explained that swindlers tended to make fake notes in small denominations as people might not pay attention to them.

“Anyone would be cautious and check [the bill] thoroughly when he or she receives a HK$1,000 or HK$500 note,” he continued. “It is easier to pass the small notes off in places like wet markets, convenient stores and even in taxis.”

The total number of counterfeit banknotes found in Hong Kong dropped by 4.7 per cent from 1,927 to 1,836 this year. The force arrested 20 people for possessing fake banknotes.

Cheng stressed that the counterfeit situation in the city was not serious as less than one fake was found among one million Hong Kong banknotes in circulation.

Police appealed to the public to check the banknotes received by reviewing them under the light, and to immediately hand over any suspected counterfeit banknotes to the police or a bank.

People should not attempt to reuse any suspected counterfeit banknotes. Otherwise, they might be committing the offence of passing counterfeit notes under section 99 of the Crimes Ordinance.

(SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)