Phuket Police Hunt Expat Scammers Who Passed Fake British Notes

By Sert Tongdee and Rattanawan Vatcharasorat PHUKET: Police are looking for an expat couple who have passed fake 20-pound notes at a Kata currency exchange.

The scammers struck over two days and have ripped off the exchange dealer for a total of 12,389 baht.

In the heart of Phuket's Kata beach shopping district, opposite the five-star Boathouse resort and its Re Ka Ta beachside restaurant, exchange dealer Kanyarat Tiwsakun, 49, lamented her loss today.

The deception was only discovered when she checked the British bills before taking them to a bank and discovered that most of them were fake.

Police from Chalong, who oversee the Kata and Karon area, are hoping that the couple can be traced from local security camera footage.

Khun Kanyarat told officers that somebody else was manning the currency booth on Tuesday when the couple first dropped by and exchanged 160 pounds in eight 20-pound notes.

On Wednesday, staff served the same couple and exchanged four crisp 20-pound bills valued at 80 pounds.

Khun Kanyarat checked the notes today and found the counterfeits. Later a local bank confirmed that only two of the 12 notes were genuine - the rest were good-quality fakes.

Now Khun Kanyarat is out of pocket and police will be placing their faith in security camera footage or bystanders who may have got a good look at the two couples.

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Obviously this couple have as much common sense as real cash - unless of course, they've already scammed several other exchange booths. Shouldn't be difficult for the police to catch them.

Posted by agogohome on July 19, 2012 15:51

I like that Chalong police had put their traffic police on the case !!

Posted by karsten on July 19, 2012 16:59

So she was ripped off for 12,389 bht.For ??200.That's an exchange rate of 61.9 bht to the pound.
I don't think so.
I think I will be changing some money there if that's the case

Posted by rich on July 19, 2012 18:10

So the Thai gets scammed, makes the headlines on your paper . When the 100s of tourist get scammed ever day no news headlines

Posted by Neil Bryan on July 19, 2012 18:16

Editor Comment:

Hundreds of tourists get scammed every day? In currency transactions? Please tell us more, Neil.
Your first post reeks of prejudice. And we're not a ''paper.''

sorry for the lady and hope they get caught, on a more pedantic note the amount in Baht is over 12,000 which is 246 pounds, yet they handed over 160?

Posted by stuart on July 19, 2012 19:00

Dear Ed jumping to,conclusions as usual you need to read more into my comments. Jet ski scams , taxi scams, land scams, time share scams, how many more scams do you want me to name.

Posted by Neil Bryan on July 19, 2012 19:20

Editor Comment:

As many as you can, Neil, but not in a generalised way. Deliver individual names and numbers to the Phuket police and it's likely they will be reported.

"Later a local bank confirmed that only two of the 12 notes were genuine - the rest were good-quality fakes."
"ripped off the exchange dealer for a total of 12,389 baht."
20 GBP-notes, I wasn't knowing, that the GB-Pound is back to over 60 Baht! How much is the Euro at that place?

Posted by ??? on July 19, 2012 19:31

Editor Comment:

Quite likely a miscalculation, ???. Why assume the worst?

Could it not be a case that the couple where also given the fake notes and did not realise? ... there are alot of fake notes in circulation within the UK.

Posted by adam on July 19, 2012 20:02

Stuart read the story before commenting they handed over pounds 240 not pounds 160 so it works out around 11,900bht

Posted by Darren walker on July 19, 2012 23:03

Darren walker, read the story before commenting
"only two of the 12 notes were genuine "
10x20, makes it 200, not 240. Even with 240, someone did calculate with "we sell for", not the buy!
I still have to check, what Euro-rate they offer!

Posted by ??? on July 20, 2012 06:58

What if the "scammers" are innocent victims themselves and did not know they had fake notes? If they find them, will they then have to pay up? The crime usually does not occur before you KNOWINGLY pass on fake currency as real..The buck stops at the first person that realises he or she has fake money.

Posted by christian on July 20, 2012 14:29