Customer purchases 'magic tissue' using counterfeit money

MARANG - A man used a counterfeit RM100 note to purchase cosmetic items, including a sexually related item called 'magic tissues'.

A shop helper, Nurul Safizal Mohd Zaidi, 21, said she realised she was swindled after the man had left the premises by motorcycle.

She said the man made a purchase of three items worth RM57 and received change amounting to RM43.

“The man was the first customer to arrive around 10.15 a.m. on Saturday last week (Oct. 30). He arrived and said he wanted to find medication for his mother, but later had taken eyeshadow, face wash, and the'magic tissue’.

“When purchasing his items, he brought out a folded RM100 note. At the time, I did not notice it was a counterfeit. After two or three customers had paid, I realised the money felt different, and it turned out to be fake,” she said.

Nurul Safizal said she was told there were shops suffering the same incident on the same day.

“You can’t say the man did not know he used counterfeit money as an eatery nearby received another false RM100 bill.

“It happened on the same day, but the incident was much earlier before the man came to this store.

“We have closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings in the store that showed the man riding a motorcycle and carrying a turtle doll on his back,” she revealed.

When asked whether a police report was lodged following the incident, they stated they did not lodge a report due to the same incidents happening in the area.

“We have made a social media status post for others to be vigilant,” she said.

Meanwhile, an owner of a laundry shop in Pengkalan, Eric Chew, 42, said that throughout his 10 years operating his business, there were five instances where he had been a victim of counterfeit money used as payments.

However, he said he did realise the money was fake, until he was told by banks when depositing over the counter.

“Usually I would deposit weekly or every two weeks into my account depending on the amount, and I remembered several times that some RM100 and RM50 bills were rejected for being counterfeits.

“We suffered losses, but what else could be done as we could not track down who used the counterfeit money?" he said.

An advertisement manager from a company in Ipoh, Mariati Abdul Rahim, 47, admitted to making a police report after receiving counterfeit money from business payments.

She said the incident involved RM100 and RM50 bills obtained from a vendor.

“As we arrived at the bank to deposit it into our company account, the money was rejected. Bank officers informed them the serial numbers were doubtful on the bills.

“I made a police report as an alert to the company for security purposes to avoid losses to myself,” she said.

A convenience store salesperson in Lahat who only wanted to be known as Farhana, 29, shared her experience with customers who used counterfeit bills.

She said the customers were rushing to give RM100 bills when making payments, despite the items costing less than RM20.

“When I held the banknote, it felt harder compared to the usual bill. I gave the reason that there was no change and asked them to purchase using a different bill,” she said.

A vendor in Meru Raya, Hazman Abdullah, 56, only realised that he had received counterfeit money after his friend counted the sales involving RM100 bills.

“I went to the bank with hopes of exchanging the money for real money, but we were not allowed to do so.

"Afterwards, I became much more cautious and avoided receiving RM100 notes,” he said.