Fake Money Now Circulating in Pasar Malam, Here’s How to Detect a Real RM100 Note

Hawkers and market traders handle bundles of cash daily so you could say that they have vast experience in detecting crooks who try to pass off counterfeit notes. However, the counterfeit money that’s produced nowadays are so “real” that even these experienced people cannot detect it properly anymore.

Source: The Star

According to Chinapress, these crooks have been circulating RM20, RM50 and RM100 notes around. One of the most popular places for them to use this would be at night markets, or pasar malams as it is commonly known. This is because the crowded and dark conditions at pasar malams make it easier for them to get away with their crime and this in turn would cause the poor hawkers to lose their hard-earned money. 

Some of these vendors said they used to be able to detect any fake money by just a simple touch and look, but as technology progressed, the counterfeit notes now look and feel almost exactly like the real notes. In fact, some of them only discovered that they have been cheated after going to the bank to deposit money. Poor thing!

Source: The Star

The vendors said, “We know that these kind of incidents are inevitable, so whenever we encounter such tricks, all we can do is sigh and put it down to bad luck.”

Several of these pasar malam vendors have also decided to invest in a counterfeit money detector to scan the notes before accepting them. They would remind their staff to remain vigilant whenever accepting any of these notes from customers.

However, here is a handy guide from Bank Negara Malaysia to distinguish real and fake money in case you ever have the need to do so!

Source: BNM

Source: BNM

1. Intaglio printing: Feel the raised printing effect by rubbing your fingers over the spots marked 1.

2. Watermark printing: Against white light, you can spot the portrait of the Agong and the number 100 below it

3. Perfect see-through register: Hold the note against white light to see the perfect formation of the numeral 100

4. Embedded thread line: Again, you should hold the banknote against white light and observe the continuous dark line embedded on the paper

5. Micro-lense security thread: Tilt your banknote and observe that the Bunga Raya (hibiscus flower) in the thread moves

6. Gold stripe: Turn to the back and note that there is a gold-coloured stripe running down the bottom

7. Micro-lettering: You will probably need a magnifying glass for this but you can check and see whether there are micro letters surrounding the top and bottom of the image

8. Fluorescent element: Use UV light to check for an image of Mount Kinabalu with the numeral 100 that appears in red and yellow

9. Fluorescent text and logo: Using UV light, look for a stag motif and a rectangle with the text “BNM 100”

10. Security fibres: The UV light comes in handy again; check for security fibres scattered throughout the note in red, yellow and blue.

Most of these features can be spotted easily with the naked eye, so make sure you don’t get cheated! Grab a RM100 note and check it out now!

Also read: Syndicate in Puchong Busted for Selling Fake Uni Scrolls for As Low As RM1,000