Fake Money Stolen From Thai Bank

BANGKOK: -- Three teenage robbers in Thailand have been arrested after a sharp-eyed street vendor noticed they were trying to spend fake money _ that had been stolen from a bank _ police said.

The two 15-year-old boys and a 16-year-old girl broke into the Siam Commercial Bank in the seaside resort of Pattaya early Monday, making off with a bundle of notes and mobile telephones, said police Maj. Sutham Chaosithong.

But the teens' haul also included a stack of fake bank notes, Sutham said.

Branch manager Kitiphol Kramwong said the bank had detected 30 fake notes in the past week, marked them as such, and left them in an easy-to-access drawer _ which robbers had pilfered. It was not clear whether they realized they had stolen fake money.

While police were inspecting the scene of the crime, they were told that vendors at a nearby market had caught the three teenagers trying to buy goods with forged money, Sutham said Tuesday.

The young suspects have since been detained at a social welfare detention center pending a juvenile court ruling on the case, he said.

Pattaya, 110 kilometers (70 miles) southeast of Bangkok, is a beach town popular with Thai and foreign tourists.

--AP 2005-12-28

Now what was the bank doing with Fake money??

Foreign exchange for tourists?

Now what was the bank doing with Fake money??

Foreign exchange for tourists?

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Maybe collecting it for the police ?

I had a fake 1000 note from a bank's cash machine in BKK and I couldn't tell the difference from a real one...

And obviously the machine had been filled by bank staff so they couldn't have looked too closely!

... I don't fancy the consequences if I'd got caught trying to spend it!

I only found out when i (stupidly) changed some money back in the UK...

Edited December 28, 200520 yr by RAZZELL

The som-tam lady told me, the young thieves needed fake money, in order to buy counterfeit goods

But I myself don't really believe that

The som-tam lady told me, the young thieves needed fake  money, in order to buy counterfeit  goods 

But I myself don't really believe that 

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That sounds like good Thai logic.

Banks often have fake currency on hand, using it rather than the real thing for training tellers to handle cash.