Man Tries to Sell Fake $10,000 Note at Chinatown Shop, Quickly Exposed

A man’s attempt to sell a counterfeit $10,000 note at a numismatic shop in Chinatown was thwarted when the shop owners identified it as fake right away. The incident occurred at noon on Feb. 19 at a shop in People’s Park Centre. According to the shop owner’s wife, Ms. Liao, the man—appearing to be in his 30s or 40s and accompanied by a woman—showed her a photo of the note on his phone and asked if she was interested in buying it.

Liao, who has operated the shop for 14 years, immediately recognized the note’s serial number as fake, matching it to an authentic $10,000 note she had in the shop. “The man even exclaimed, ‘It’s exactly the same as mine!'” Liao told Shin Min Daily News. The pair left shortly after being rejected.

Other shop owners in the mall confirmed they had also been approached by the man. Explaining her quick detection, Liao noted that authentic $10,000 notes begin with serial numbers “OAA” or “OYI,” while the counterfeit one started with “2AA.”

The Monetary Authority of Singapore stopped issuing $10,000 notes in 2014 to curb money laundering, though existing notes remain legal tender. While police were alerted to the situation by concerned passers-by, Liao shared her CCTV footage to assist in the investigation.