I think the answer to that may be that historically Thailand was seen as the "wild west" for all sorts of crimes.
You've been around a while - think back to Thailand, say 30 years ago, and what was ignored then as compared to now - the ease of doing perpetual "border hops" comes to mind. I remember certain establishments in Bangkok changing Western cash at advantageous rates - transactions in back rooms with no paperwork issued. The notes were just checked visually - no scanning.
This guy might have heard about those days and assumed the same conditions still applied - his bad if that's the case!
Just FWIW, I bring British £50 notes with me (so vaguely related); I get them from a High St bank (so they go through my account) and carry the receipts both to show Customs and against the possibility of questions being asked in Thailand.
One never knows!
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