KUCHING, March 14: Members of the public are urged to be cautious as fake RM100 notes are being circulated with eight reports lodged in Sarawak so far this year.
State Commercial Crime Investigation Department head Supt Mustafa Kamal Gani Abdullah said the reports were from Kuching (three cases), Sibu (three cases) and Samarahan (two cases) involving a total of seven counterfeit RM100 notes.
He told DayakDaily that no arrests have been made this year so far.
In 2017, 15 men and six women were arrested. There were 29 cases of counterfeit currency in Sarawak in 2017 and 19 of these cases happened in Kuching. Most of the counterfeit notes were RM100 notes (110 notes) and there were also 10 RM1,000 notes and two RM10 notes.
He explained that it is important to apply the “feel, look and tilt” principle to detect a counterfeit banknote and provided guidelines.
“Feel the quality of the paper and feel the intaglio printing as the genuine banknote is usually printed on very high quality paper and manufactured from cotton. The intaglio print ink is a raised printing effect produced by applying layers of tactile inks on various parts of the front and reverse sides of the notes.
“According to the guidelines, the genuine banknote carries a watermark portrait security thread and perfect see-through features so it is important to look at the banknote and hold it up to the light.
“Tilting the banknote is also important as the iridescent stripe shines under a bright light and shows the banknote denomination and the name of BNM when the view angle is shifted.”
He advised members of the public to notify the police immediately if they have receive counterfeit banknotes as using counterfeit banknotes is just as illegal as manufacturing it. Additionally, counterfeit banknotes are not eligible for replacement.
Forging or counterfeiting currency notes or banknotes is punishable under Section 489A of the Penal Code while using forged currency notes or banknotes is punishable under Section 489B of the code. Both carry a maximum imprisonment of 20 years and fines.
Making or possession of instruments or materials for forging or counterfeiting currency notes or banknotes is punishable under Section 489D of the Penal Code and carries a maximum jail term of 20 years. Possession of forged or counterfeit currency notes or banknotes is punishable under Section 489C of the same code and carries a maximum jail term of 10 years.
Yesterday, PKR national women vice-chief Voon Shiak Ni urged the police to update the public on counterfeit currency matters as public awareness is vital to curb and end the illegal acts of processing, printing and using the fake notes. — DayakDaily
