Post by chris on Aug 16, 2015 17:01:47 GMT 7
It's been around as long as I have been here. Usually fake 1000 notes around Manila. Frequently mixed in with other notes. And the police had photo ID'd suspects around the Malls a few years ago. Cleaned it up, but it comes back now and then.
It's been a long time now that fake notes have been passed around. And there's several ways it can work.
We went into an outdoor restaurant, 6 of us on a bike break. As we ordered, we saw the same staff as usual, same girls as over the previous 2 years. But the owner was not in attendance.
The bill was 300 and we took up a collection. Since the amount was short, me and one other guy would make up the difference. So he gave me 1000 and I went up to pay the bill.
When I gave the 1000 the cashier noted she did not have change so she called the older lady, I assume also a cashier, she's usually around, perhaps she's the manager, probably but not sure. She took the 1000 and went to her own purse to make the change. She showed me a 500 and 2 x 100 and I gave her the nod. She folded it and gave it to me. I made adjustment by adding in 150 and folded the money again, then handed my friend his change. He counted the money and again he gave me the nod. So that was on Wednesday. Then we rode again Saturday, he didn't see me immediately but when he did he showed me a fake 500 note. Very nice copy even with the silver embossed markings, but on a paper that was clearly a different quality.
Clearly it's my problem, so he handed it too me. A bit later I was able to break off the ride and drop in to see the owner, someone we know. But I am not sure of his attitude to this problem. But anyway he was not there.
I went up to the cashier, the younger one and showed her the fake. She did not blink an eye, but she reached down as quickly as she could and gave me a new 500. So quick and without reaction, clearly a sign of guilt. A cashier is not going to give away 500 pesos unless she can cover it. Which imo she did, she and the old lady will cover the 500 and the owner will still not know.
And a cashier is really in tune to spotting fakes as most of us know they examine each bill or run it through a scanner.
We know it's a scam because this place is on the highway attracting people travelling further north and will not easily come back. As long as the owner doesn't know the 2 people working in tandem can pull the scam, the cook and waitresses don't handle money, so would be oblivious.
I have not gone back to see the owner, but will eventually, because he needs to protect his business.
I asked my friend a policeman about it, and they have knowledge of the situation here. They have arrested a few people in the market found holding 20,000 or more in fake 500's. The current modus operandi, since it's not that easy passing large amounts of 500's, is to sell a fake 500 for 100 and let someone else do the estafa.
Guys this is new here up north, and we think the money does not come from here. Previously in Manila there were fake 1000's, thought to have come from Mindinao and some of the people in the ring were Muslims.
I have seen a fake 1000. I would say these fake 500's are of lesser quality because the paper is more like ordinary paper, if wet will just deteriorate or fall apart.
Just a warning on this one.
Anyone else have anything on it?
