A 57-year-old man was arrested for his suspected involvement in at least two cases of using counterfeit S$50 notes.
In a press release on Monday (8 July), the Police revealed that it had received a report that several pieces of counterfeit S$50 Portrait Series notes were found in the vicinity of Upper Bukit Timah Road.
Follow-up investigations were conducted by officers from the Commercial Affairs Department whistablished the identity of the man and arrested him on 8 July 2019.
Six pieces of S$50 notes, which are believed to be counterfeits, a printer, some printing papers and apparels were seized as case exhibits, said the police.
The police stated that preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to have printed several pieces of S$50 notes with his own printer and used the counterfeit S$50 notes on at least two occasions to purchase items of low value.
The man is charged in court today (9 July) with counterfeiting currency notes and using as genuine counterfeit currency notes under Section 489A and 489B of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, respectively.
Anyone convicted for counterfeiting currency notes shall be punished with an imprisonment term which may extend to 20 years, and shall also be liable to fine. Anyone convicted for the offence of using as genuine counterfeit currency notes shall be punished with an imprisonment term which may extend to 20 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
The Police remind members of the public to be wary of receiving possible counterfeit notes. If members of the public have received any suspected counterfeit currency note, they should:
- Report it to the nearest Neighbourhood Police Centre;
- Delay the person(s) who presented the suspected counterfeit note, if possible, and call the Police at ‘999’ immediately;
- Note the description of the person(s) who presented the counterfeit note, including gender, race, age, height, built, clothing, tattoo and language/dialect spoken;
- Note the description of the vehicle used, if any, including its registration number; and
- Limit the handling of the suspected counterfeit note and place it in a protective covering, such as an envelope, to prevent further tampering. Hand it over to the Police immediately.
Information on the security features of genuine Singapore currency is available on the MAS’ website.
