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| Thai baht front top to bottom 1000 baht, 500 baht, 100 baht and 50 baht note |
It doesn’t
get any better than checking in at a luxury suite at ShaSa Resort and Residences, and spending the day visiting
as many Koh Samui attractions as
possible. However, a vacationist’s seemingly perfect holiday can easily be
turned inside out if he makes the mistake of exchanging his cash for fake baht
notes.
Police in
Thailand have recently issued several warnings regarding the emergence of
counterfeited dough yet again. Although the instances of these occurrences happening
to tourists are statistically uncommon, there’s always that small chance wherein
an individual unwittingly exchanges his money for knockoffs.
Counterfeiters
have done an excellent job at creating fake bills, which closely resemble the
real thing. Numerous cashiers are trained to identify fake currencies, and upon
catching a customer paying facsimiles, they’ll be left with no choice but to
contact local authorities.
Unwillingly
using replica baht usually won’t entail trouble with the law, but it does mean
a potentially long interview will be conducted in order to determine innocence.
On the other hand, if the tourist happens to be caught knowingly using pseudo
notes, then he or she could pay a fine of up to 30,000 baht (USD1000) and/or be
sentenced to jail for 15 years.
To avoid
the hassle of being interrogated by suspicious cops or spending a lengthy holiday
in a dirty prison cell with other lawbreakers, the management at ShaSa Resort shares the following tips for
distinguishing between the real deal and fakes: first, try wetting a portion of
the bill. If it’s fake, then some of the colours will start running.
Authentic baht
notes also have a holographic strip on the left hand side, which is typically
larger than that of its unreal counterparts.
Here’s
another helpful tip: compare suspicious notes with an authentic bill acquired
from legit moneychangers at airports within the island or abroad. Even
foreigners coming to Samui for the first time will immediately be able to detect
a notable difference between genuine bills and their pseudo counterparts, so
using this particular test as a “pre-test” to warrant the need for using the
other tests mentioned earlier would definitely be helpful.
Before
getting overwhelmed with plotting an itinerary for the Koh Samui attractions to visit, the management of ShaSa
Resort strongly advises ensuring the
authenticity of their baht notes first. To negate the risk of receiving fake bills,
dealing with Thai banks or legit moneychangers is recommended.
