13 March 2006 |
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17-Year-Old Girl Arrested For Using Counterfeit Notes |
Police arrested a 17-year-old Singaporean woman early this morning ( 13 Mar 2006 ) at an apartment in Siglap for possessing and using counterfeit Singapore currency notes of $50 denomination.
The suspect is believed to have presented counterfeit Singapore $50 Portrait series notes to nine taxi-drivers for fares ranging between $2.50 and $4.20 between 25 Feb 2006 and 11 Mar 2006 . On each occasion, she had boarded the taxi from either Marine Parade Road or Upper Changi Road , and directed the driver to take her to Marine Parade Road , Marine Terrace or Siglap Gardens . Just before reaching the destination, she would pretend to speak to someone on her handphone pertaining to an emergency in which an ambulance was required. Using this ruse, she would hasten the taxi-driver to round off the change to about $45 and leave the taxi hurriedly. It was only after she had left the taxi would the victims discover that the S$50 Portrait note she presented was counterfeit.
The counterfeit currency notes presented by the suspect were of poor quality without any simulation of security features, such as watermark, kinegram, security-thread or intaglio prints.
Following protracted investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department raided an apartment in Siglap and arrested the 17-year old suspect. During the raid, the officers also seized three pieces of counterfeit Singapore $50 Portrait series, computer hardware, software and other paraphernalia.
The suspect will be charged in Court tomorrow for using counterfeit currency notes. A person convicted of such an offence can be punished with life imprisonment or up to 10 years in jail, and a fine.
Police would like to take this opportunity to remind the public to be alert when handling currency notes. They should examine the various security features on the notes, such as watermark, kinegram, security-thread or intaglio prints. Taxi-drivers, in particular, should be wary of passengers using currency notes of high denomination to pay for short-distanced taxi-fares, especially in hours of darkness where visibility of the currency note presented is poor. Members of the public who suspect that they have or may have received counterfeit currency notes, should not pass on the notes. They should retain the suspected notes and report to the Police immediately.
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