Counterfeit money getting harder to trace: Official<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As the technology for printing valuable papers
\nis no longer the monopoly of the state money printing company
\nPerum Peruri, people will find it difficult to tell whether their
\nmoney is original or counterfeit, businesspeople in the finance
\nsector said on Friday.<\/p>\n
\"Even ultraviolet lamps, which are widely used by people, are
\nno longer effective in detecting fake money because some the
\npaper used for counterfeit money can hardly be differentiated
\nfrom the genuine paper.<\/p>\n
\"In some cases, the appearance of fake money is the same as
\ngenuine money, even when it is examined under an ultraviolet
\nlamp,\" said Sugiman, a senior cashier at PT Ayumas money changer
\nin Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He said that in the past, a fake banknote would appear
\nbrighter than a genuine one when it was examined under an
\nultraviolet lamp.<\/p>\n
\"I think criminals now use paper which is almost the same as
\nthe genuine paper,\" Sugiman, who has been working as a cashier
\nfor 19 years, said.<\/p>\n
Because ultraviolet lamps are no longer effective in detecting
\nfake money, Sugiman said the average person would find it
\nincreasingly difficult to detect counterfeit money.<\/p>\n
\"Even bank or money changer employees will need special
\ntraining on fake money identification methods,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Former bank employee Lianni Yusuf said fake money usually had
\na waxier feel to it than authentic banknotes.<\/p>\n
Lianni, who worked as a teller for nine years, said in some
\ncases fake notes were smaller than genuine ones and the color
\ncould fade.<\/p>\n
She said fake money could sometimes be among banknotes
\ndistributed by Bank Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"That's why it is not surprising to find fake money in
\nautomatic teller machines (ATMs),\" she said.<\/p>\n
Lianni suggested that people ask bank security guards to
\nobserve them withdrawing money from ATMs.<\/p>\n
\"I have always asked a security guard to accompany me into an
\nATM booth whenever I withdraw money,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers
\nFoundation (YLKI), Indah Suksmaningsih, said the presence of
\ncounterfeit money in ATMs made it apparent that cases of fake
\nmoney had reached an alarming level.<\/p>\n
\"It is such a case which is very difficult to prove.
\nCustomers, who are the real victims, will be in a weak position,\"
\nshe said, adding that YLKI had started receiving complaints on
\nfake money obtained from ATMs.<\/p>\n
Indah said it was imperative that all related institutions,
\nespecially banks, tightened their control mechanisms.<\/p>\n
Bank Bali's corporate communication manager, Laksmi Oktovio
\nAscaria, said the bank had tightened controls in that employees,
\nespecially tellers, should have special training on detecting
\nfake money.<\/p>\n
\"We are doing our best to avoid having any counterfeit money
\nin our bank,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Laksmi suggested that customers immediately report to security
\nguards at ATMs if they obtain fake money from the machines and
\nkeep the transaction receipts.<\/p>\n
\"We will swap the (fake) money if it is proven,\" she said, but
\nfailed to elaborate on how people could prove it was the same
\nmoney they received from an ATM.<\/p>\n
A public relations officer at Bank Central Asia (BCA),
\nidentified only as Rizal, declined to say what measures his bank
\nwas taking to address the matter. (ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/counterfeit-money-getting-harder-to-trace-official-1447893297",
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