French tourist arrested at Phuket money exchange with fake Euro bank notes

[webfact]

French tourist arrested at Phuket money exchange with fake Euro bank notes
Eakkapop Thongtub


Rene Louis Regrault told police that he had withdrawn the fake notes from a bank in France.

PHUKET: A 59-year-old French tourist was arrested at a Patong money exchange booth yesterday (Sept 2) when he attempted to exchange a fake one hundred Euro bank note. The man, named as Rene Louis Regrault, was later found to be in possession of a further five fake notes.

Police Senior Sergeant Major Boonyarit Intakarn of the tourist police told The Phuket News, “We were alerted to investigate a man exchanging money at the Shino Moneychanger booth in Bangla Rd after a member of staff there suspected that the notes he was exchanging were counterfeit.

“We took the note to a nearby bank to have it checked and they confirmed it was fake.

“When we went to check Mr Regraultʼs rented room on Sirirat Rd we found five more counterfeit bank notes. Two of them even had the same last digits as the one we seized at the exchange counter.”

Rene told police that he withdrew the notes from a bank in France before taking his trip to Thailand and had no idea they were fake.

Rene was taken to Kathu Police Station where he was charged with bringing counterfeit money into Thailand and possession of counterfeit notes with intent to use them.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/french-tourist-arrested-at-phuket-money-exchange-with-fake-euro-bank-notes-53932.php


-- Phuket News 2015-09-03

[richard_smith237]

The worrying thing about this is that his explanation is possible...

Can it be guaranteed the the money we withdraw from an ATM (either in Thailand or Overseas) is 100% real 100% of the time?

I carry about $1000 (10x$100 bills - kept separately from my Wallet) with me when I travel as additional security against lost wallet etc

Obviously I've checked them visually, and while I believe they are real, I can never be 100% certain.

Edited September 3, 2015 by richard_smith237

[LivinginKata]

The worrying thing about this is that his explanation is possible...

Can it be guaranteed the the money we withdraw from an ATM (either in Thailand or Overseas) is 100% real 100% of the time?

I carry about $1000 (10x$100 bills - kept separately from my Wallet) with me when I travel as additional security against lost wallet etc

Obviously I've checked them visually, and while I believe they are real, I can never be 100% certain.

Have them checked at a main bank. Just to be sure ...

[stevenl]

The worrying thing about this is that his explanation is possible...

Can it be guaranteed the the money we withdraw from an ATM (either in Thailand or Overseas) is 100% real 100% of the time?

I carry about $1000 (10x$100 bills - kept separately from my Wallet) with me when I travel as additional security against lost wallet etc

Obviously I've checked them visually, and while I believe they are real, I can never be 100% certain.

I don't know if it is possible or not, but for the moment I don't believe this. I can be convinced though.

And on a cynical note: I'm sure he is telling the truth, after all his name is real French.

[asdecas]

I have withdrawn fake 100 Yuan notes from an ATM in China. Naturally it was denied by the branch when I sought recompense.

There is nothing to stop the unsuspecting, as this man may well have been, from being arrested and charged for a crime about which they were totally unaware.

[crazykopite]

The worrying thing about this is that his explanation is possible...

Can it be guaranteed the the money we withdraw from an ATM (either in Thailand or Overseas) is 100% real 100% of the time?

I carry about $1000 (10x$100 bills - kept separately from my Wallet) with me when I travel as additional security against lost wallet etc

Obviously I've checked them visually, and while I believe they are real, I can never be 100% certain.

[NoBrains]

Nowadays its almost impossible to fill ATM machines with fake notes by the public, When I deposit 1000 euro and 1 fake is between I get it back from the machine or the machine takes it and will spit a bill that 1 ore more notes are under investigation. This is Belgium.

[DLang]

Yeah, the farang must be innocent, and it was the bank that did him over.

[fitzcaraldo]

No way hé got them From bank

Nevers saw an atm handling 100 € bills

[jimstar1]

love The Photo maybe we can have a caption contest

on the real side silly thing to try and do but he is French

[Bulldozer Dawn]

The cop on the far left is very erect.

Arresting foreigners seems to excite him.

[Adeeos]

Yeah, the farang must be innocent, and it was the bank that did him over.

I have a German friend, living here,, Showed me a $1000 baht fake bill he got from his own banks ATM,,, was near perfect, watermark and all,, it lacked the silver foil strip,,,, I told him just re-deposit it at the same bank,, as it OBVIOUSLY passed through their hands prior,, as they had let it get loaded into their OWN ATM,,,, he still carried it as, he thought it was interesting to keep...

Edited September 3, 2015 by Adeeos

[sirocco]

really stupid, this French.

In France, all tickets placed in a distributor or directly delivered to the office are audited by a complicated system.

Optionally, a ticket could go ????? but several? NO

[gjoo888]

No way hé got them From bank

Nevers saw an atm handling 100 € bills

The story said he withdrew the money from a bank, nothing about an ATM. I'm not sure I believe him anyhow, what else was he going to say?

However, I once received a bogus $100 note from a bank in the States when I cashed a check there. I cashed the check at the bank the check was written from and went straight to my bank to deposit some of the money. My bank caught the counterfeit, and by law had to call the police to report it. The police came and took my statement and let me go, but I was still out the $100.

[KNJ]

Lucky he did not take out 500 Euro notes.

It is normal for the bank when loading the ATM to check for counterfeited notes, not I believe in dispensing, it is deemed an unnecessary step, thus separate deposit ( where they do scan ) and dispense machines ( scan on load)

If the BIB care to contact the bank he claims to have received them from it will be confirmed..................Sorry in this case guilty until he can prove otherwise

[topt]

I have withdrawn fake 100 Yuan notes from an ATM in China. Naturally it was denied by the branch when I sought recompense.

There is nothing to stop the unsuspecting, as this man may well have been, from being arrested and charged for a crime about which they were totally unaware.

Was a regular problem when I was there including getting them from the bank teller directly when there was enough of them. I received 2 in one batch of notes from my boss which had just come from the bank......

[little mary sunshine]

He could be innocent!!

[lvr181]

The cop on the far left is very erect.

Arresting foreigners seems to excite him.

Nah, it is a "selfie type" photo opportunity for him. Had time to compose himself because the poor guy has probably never had this opportunity in the past. Be kind to him. Thai police need kindness.

[Doc46]

The worrying thing about this is that his explanation is possible...

Can it be guaranteed the the money we withdraw from an ATM (either in Thailand or Overseas) is 100% real 100% of the time?

I carry about $1000 (10x$100 bills - kept separately from my Wallet) with me when I travel as additional security against lost wallet etc

Obviously I've checked them visually, and while I believe they are real, I can never be 100% certain.

I don't know if it is possible or not, but for the moment I don't believe this. I can be convinced though.

And on a cynical note: I'm sure he is telling the truth, after all his name is real French.

Yea, but they Do have criminals in France!

[Chicog]

He is clearly innocent, since there is a noticeable lack of pointing in the picture.

[sirocco]

no, chicog, the French must have said to the police that

it was not nice point the finger; it is impolite in FRANCE

[yaudah]

No way hé got them From bank

Nevers saw an atm handling 100 € bills

Where does it say he got them from an ATM ?

"withdrew from a Bank" he might have marched up to the teller ?

But then, I have my doubts........................

[schlog]

No way hé got them From bank

Nevers saw an atm handling 100 € bills

Sure you get 100 Euro bills from ATMs in Austria and Germany.

Got them last time 4 month ago.

At your home bank branch you also get 200 Euro bills at the ATMs.

Edited September 3, 2015 by schlog

[wabothai]

Schulz !!

[Shermanator]

How proud they all are (the officers)... "Yeah, we three have nabbed a foreigner, with 23.400 worth in fake bank notes, who might even be innocent, yeah!!!", while the whole LOS falls apart around us, 20+ people were killed, hundreds injured by a bomb with an investigation going limbo and cops paying themselves reward for a not yet solved crime, bombings in the south, countless people killed on the streets due to non-existant check ups and public ignoring every single traffic rule, patsies being put in court for crimes performed by super rich HiSo and mafia people, every wannabe HiSo able to buy himself/herself (actor brat that shat herself) out even of possible murder charges, majority of Thai youths hi on Yaa Baa and Yaa Ice... the majority of adults drunk on Lao Khao, corruption on an all time high, etc... yeah, now everyting will change, because three couragious cops caught a French guy with 23.400 Baht of fake notes in his posession... I am so impressed and so sure that this country will now became a much safer and better place. Thanks so much for catching this despicable crook and bringing his outrageous "crime" to our attention...

[Jim walker]

The cops all look very smug ' didn't we do well ' catching a foreign criminal

[Zodiac]

Maybe innocent as plausible reason given for possession. Surely not difficult to find out the precise ATM machine to check withdrawal time and bona fides of the owner of the ATM etc.

Should also be easy to find out if the arrested person has "previous" form.......

Edited September 3, 2015 by Zodiac

[shaurene]

A number of years back the EU stopped issuing the 500 euro note because there where so many fakes around.. Last year I was going to Spain to possibly buy a property I went to the Super Rich exchange in Khon Kaen and changed 1.000,000 baht for euro and received all 500 euro notes. I got them to turn the detector machine around to me and swipe them.

[TheFishman1]

TIT

[sirocco]

First thing to do is to check with the bank account of this gentleman, in France, he pulled out the money before he left.

This is noted on the account statement.

But as all notes and coins are be audited by the Bank of France or in banks, he will have to prove they handed him several counterfeit notes.