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