Russian Tourist Apprehended in Phuket for Exchanging Counterfeit Currency

[webfact]

Picture courtesy: The Phuket Express

 

In a startling turn of events, a 22-year-old Russian tourist has been arrested in Phuket, Thailand, for allegedly exchanging counterfeit currency. The arrested individual, identified only as Ms Evgeniia, was apprehended by Kamala police officers on the evening of July 27th, following several complaints from unsuspecting victims who had received fake foreign banknotes between July 23rd and July 27th.

 

According to the local police, the investigation had been prompted by reports from various exchange counters around Kamala, Kathu. The tourists who exchanged their money unknowingly believed the banknotes to be genuine. Ms Evgeniia was caught with 32 counterfeit 50-dollar bills while staying at a pool villa in Kamala.

 

During the initial police interrogation, Evgeniia maintained that she was unaware of the counterfeit nature of the banknotes, claiming that her father had given her sixty 50-dollar bills for her trip to Phuket. Records show she exchanged four of these bills at a currency exchange counter in front of a shopping centre in Kamala on July 23rd, receiving 5,348 baht in return without attracting any suspicion at that time.

 

Further scrutiny revealed that out of the 75 total bills in her possession, 32 were counterfeit, while the remainder were genuine. If the counterfeit notes had been successfully exchanged, they would have resulted in a loss of approximately 57,000 baht. Ms Evgeniia and her friends had travelled from Moscow to Phuket via Shanghai on July 22 and were residing at a rented pool villa in Kamala.

 

Evgeniia now faces serious charges, including importing counterfeit banknotes into the kingdom, possessing counterfeit banknotes with intent to use, and violating customs regulations. Local authorities are digging deeper to ascertain if this incident is connected to a broader international counterfeit currency ring targeting tourist-laden locales, reported The Phuket Express.

 

This episode highlights ongoing concerns about the vulnerabilities of currency exchange mechanisms in popular tourist destinations and underscores the need for increased vigilance and more stringent checks.

 

-- 2024-07-29

 

- Cigna offers a variety of health insurance plans designed to meet the minimum requirement for medical treatment coverage, with benefits reaching up to THB 3 million. These plans are tailored to provide comprehensive healthcare solutions for expatriates, ensuring peace of mind and access to quality medical services. To explore the full range of Cigna's expat health insurance options and find a plan that suits your needs, click here for more information.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[Callmeishmael]

5348 baht for four 50$ bills??? 

 

That's an exchange rate of less than 27 baht to the dollar!

[Will B Good]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

identified only as Ms Evgeniia, was apprehended by Kamala police officers

 

Oh boy....that will have the MAGA gang frothing at the mouth.

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, Callmeishmael said:

5348 baht for four 50$ bills??? 

 

That's an exchange rate of less than 27 baht to the dollar!

 

Not bad considering it's fake money.

[Sophon]

7 minutes ago, Callmeishmael said:

5348 baht for four 50$ bills??? 

 

That's an exchange rate of less than 27 baht to the dollar!

 

However, if she actually exchanged three and not four bills (as reported) that would make the exchange rate 35.65, which sounds correct. 

[Tropicalevo]

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

claiming that her father had given her sixty 50-dollar bills for her trip to Phuket.

So 'Daddy' stitched her up?

[bob smith]

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

In a startling turn of events, a 22-year-old Russian tourist has been arrested in Phuket, Thailand, for allegedly exchanging counterfeit currency.

...send the buggers back!

 

bob.

[Harsh Jones]

What an idiot. She should have used them on the way to Phuket. Use them in an area that you aren't going to be in for any amount of time 

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

During the initial police interrogation, Evgeniia maintained that she was unaware of the counterfeit nature of the banknotes, claiming that her father had given her sixty 50-dollar bills for her trip to Phuket.

Thank you daddy... if you can believe that one...

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

So 'Daddy' stitched her up?

Allegedly...

[steven100]

send her to Verkhnebakanskiy  or  Vladivostok  then to the front line ....

 

she can hand out the fake notes to her trench comrades.   

[PETERTHEEATER]

21 hours ago, Callmeishmael said:

5348 baht for four 50$ bills??? 

 

That's an exchange rate of less than 27 baht to the dollar!

You get less for counterfeit bills.😀

[ChipButty]

In the land of scams and fakes they don't half get upset when someone tries to do it back to them, 

[john donson]

long live qr payments

[ChipButty]

The Russian inbound market should reach a new high of 2.2 million arrivals next year

[mokwit]

6 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

The Russian inbound market should reach a new high of 2.2 million arrivals next year

With considerably fewer departures.

[Gottfrid]

14 hours ago, Harsh Jones said:

What an idiot. She should have used them on the way to Phuket. Use them in an area that you aren't going to be in for any amount of time 

Yeah, but then there is the possibility that she was not aware of the fake bills.

[ChipButty]

13 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Yeah, but then there is the possibility that she was not aware of the fake bills.

The police here dont care about that, she was in possession of them, 

[NativeBob]

she will loose a lot of money on greedy lawyers soon. 

btw, why $50 bills not $100? less convenient IMO

[ChipButty]

18 minutes ago, NativeBob said:

she will loose a lot of money on greedy lawyers soon. 

btw, why $50 bills not $100? less convenient IMO

draws less attention, 

[cowellandrew]

If she exchanged 200 dollars

She should have got 7193 baht 

 

show she exchanged four of these bills at a currency exchange counter in front of a shopping centre in Kamala on July 23rd, receiving 5,348 baht in return without attracting any

[Gottfrid]

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

The police here dont care about that, she was in possession of them, 

I know that very well. If you bother to read, my post was related to why she did not change them in another place.