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[purenature]

Hello,I went to Siam Bank and BAY to do currency exchange. I wanted to do 1600$ but they gave me back 500$ because they are 1996 series. I don't know what to do. The girl from the bank said they are not allowed to do exchange for some series in US $. She told me to go and do exchange somewhere else ( not banks). Is there any other place that I can do exchange for US $ 1996 series? Thanks.

[Carmine6]

Try Super Rich for the best rates. Only the main office though since the others have worse rates.

http://www.superrich1965.com/Eng/location.aspx

Last time a bank wouldn't take a bill I went to the bank next door and they did. I think what happens is they get a conterfeit and notify all their branches, but don't tell the neighbors.

[longball53098]

The 1996 series USD $100 is one of the most counterfeited notes as it seemed to be to do. Hence the changes to the USD notes over the last 10 years.

As stated try other places but the likelihood is they all have the same policy regarding this series of notes.

Maybe you can find a friend to take them back to the US and deposit into your bank?

Find a friend that is going back to the US and get the baht from them in exchange?

Other ways?

[SoCal]

I had the same problem in Malysia a few months back. Just went back to the hotel, where they cashed them.

Try a few places, and all else fails follow longball's advice.

[flying]

Aren't those the small head bills?

If it is then yes they do tend to balk at those.

But as others said another bank will probably take it.

If not the money exchange booths seem the most flexible.

[Wrong Turn]

The 1996 series USD $100 is one of the most counterfeited notes as it seemed to be to do. Hence the changes to the USD notes over the last 10 years.

I have went to exchange booths with the 1996 $100 USD notes and had them refused.

The lady at the exchange look at it very carefully. She quinted. Rejection. Hand it back. Not accept.

Another time, an exchange teller, after looking closely, took at a marker/pen, put a mark on it, and they quickly handed it back to me. No talking. Refuse to answer.

Said, "no."

The bill had a water mark and felt real. I got rid of it somewhere else.

My advice. Don't accept 1996 USD bills, and if you get stuck with one, dump it as fast as possible. Also, it's now 12 years old.

[Carmine6]

Aren't those the small head bills?

If it is then yes they do tend to balk at those.

But as others said another bank will probably take it.

If not the money exchange booths seem the most flexible.

Looked it up. The 1996 series was the first one with the big portrait on it. But it also had less security features. The 1999 series added a bunch.

So it would look new enough, but wouldn't need all the security features if counterfeited. Actually that might be why real bills aren't accepted. They don't have the new features. I doubt any money changers know what they should have compared to the 1999 series.

Also, maybe this is the series that the North Korean government has been printing.

http://www.moneyfactory.gov/document.cfm/18/2232

Beginning with Series 1996, $100 Federal Reserve Notes feature large portraits, watermarks in the paper, and color-shifting ink. The notes also included micro-printing (small lettering that is hard to replicate); on the face of the note, “USA 100” is within the number in the lower left corner and “United States of America” appears as a line in the left lapel of Benjamin Franklin’s coat.

[longball53098]

The 1996 series USD $100 is one of the most counterfeited notes as it seemed to be to do. Hence the changes to the USD notes over the last 10 years.

I have went to exchange booths with the 1996 $100 USD notes and had them refused.

The lady at the exchange look at it very carefully. She quinted. Rejection. Hand it back. Not accept.

Another time, an exchange teller, after looking closely, took at a marker/pen, put a mark on it, and they quickly handed it back to me. No talking. Refuse to answer.

Said, "no."

The bill had a water mark and felt real. I got rid of it somewhere else.

My advice. Don't accept 1996 USD bills, and if you get stuck with one, dump it as fast as possible. Also, it's now 12 years old.

That marker pen is actually a counterfeit detection pen. Here's a small paragraph from a web site on how the pen works. I'm sure it's not foolproof but is a quick check to satisfy an exchange booth cashier.

All of these features are nice, but no store clerk is going to stand and hold each $20 bill he or she receives up to the light to check for a security strip! It takes too long and it is not a flattering pose to strike...

The counterfeit detector pen solves the biggest counterfeiting threat today. It used to be that a counterfeiting operation used expensive presses and special inks and papers to create exact duplicates of the bills. Today, the threat is much more mundane -- people with color copiers and color printers try to create passable facsimiles of a bill. They are not trying to make an exact copy. They are trying to create something close enough that people won't notice anything if they give the bill a passing glance. These folks are not particularly careful or meticulous, so they copy or print onto normal, wood-based paper.

The counterfeit detector pen is extremely simple. It contains an iodine solution that reacts with the starch in wood-based paper to create a black stain. When the solution is applied to the fiber-based paper used in real bills, no discoloration occurs. The pen does nothing but detect bills printed on normal copier paper instead of the fine papers used by the U.S. Treasury.

[swain]

I had a similar problem at one bank, but another bank had no problem. I think just go to a few different banks and you will be able to move them. Worst case, if you have friends going back to the states swap out the money as they will have no problem in the states moving those bills.

Siam Commercial where I have a bank account has had no problem taking them either if you have an account and deposit the money into the account. The reason I am guessing is that they can correct the situation later if you actually have a bad note.

[longball53098]

I don't know about Thailand but I know in the US the receiver of the note is not liable to give you credit for a note if they see it's a possible counterfeit. This is why they try to detect if it's a possible counterfeit before accepting it. Once in their inventory they are on the hook for it and now they are the ones that loose. If they can detect a possible counterfeit before accepting it then the person holding it is at a loss. This goes here as well I think. That's why the cashier are so quick to return it to a customer rather than get stuck with a copy.

The banks is in the US go thru great pains to try to cull out the possible counterfeits before acceptance and deposit to a customers account.

In my former life my job was training and support for currency counting, sorting and dispensing machines for banks. The latest technology several years ago was aimed at weeding out the possible counterfeits.

In the US the actual final authority on if a note is counterfeit or not is the Secret Service. Up until they say yes or no a note is only suspected of being counterfeit even if it is obvious.

Edited March 8, 2009 by longball53098

[torrenova]

In about 2006, I had a Russian couple come into one of my bars and after ordering abut Bt400 of drinks, wanted to pay with a $100 1996 series and get the change in Baht !!!!

Even though the principle is totally wrong, the note looked like it was printed yesterday. Absolutely pristine.

I told them to find the baht or we go see Mr Policeman. I have no doubt that they were on the make.

[Carmine6]

Try Super Rich for the best rates. Only the main office though since the others have worse rates.

http://www.superrich1965.com/Eng/location.aspx

Last time a bank wouldn't take a bill I went to the bank next door and they did. I think what happens is they get a conterfeit and notify all their branches, but don't tell the neighbors.

I ended up stuck with five 1996 $100 bills in May. Didn't notice until it was too late to change them before heading to Thailand. Super Rich exchanged $1,000 without them batting an eye at the older bills. I'd mixed them with newer bills but they didn't seem to scrutinize them, or at least they passed when they did. You have to wait a couple minutes while they get your funds together so they might do something to check them.

[Chunkton]

With the US dollar heading south with the printing presse3s rumbling at full steam ahead, perhaps time to change as many as you can while you can. There again perhaps better to keep some as a memento of the formrt reserve currency. May become a collectors item in the future.

[hhgz]

"Don't accept 1996 USD bills...it's now 12 years old."

Unlike milk, the currency doesn't expire. The "1996" refers to the series, and not the date that it was printed.