Worst fakes ever? Sharp rise in HK$100 bills made with basic ink-jet printers ... on A4 paper
Volume of fake HK$100 bills jumped more than four times in first nine months of this year from same period in 2015
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.