Man arrested at Clementi bank over counterfeit $10,000 note

A man allegedly tried to deposit a counterfeit $10,000 note at a bank in Clementi but ended up being arrested instead.

He will be charged in court on Sept 4.

The police said in a statement on Sept 3 that the incident occurred on Aug 15 at about 2pm.

The 22-year-old suspect was at a bank located in Clementi Avenue 3 when he allegedly presented a Singapore $10,000 note to a bank counter staff member and requested that the note be deposited into a bank account, said the police.

The counter staff member suspected that the note was counterfeit and informed the manager.

The police were then alerted and subsequently arrested the man, seizing the counterfeit note for investigations.

The suspect will be charged with the offence of using counterfeit currency notes as genuine. If found guilty, he can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined.

The police said they take a serious view of anyone involved in counterfeit currency.

They reminded the public to be cautious of people offering money in exchange for help to convert fake $10,000 or other large-denomination currency notes with genuine currency, or to deposit such notes at banks.

Those who suspect they have received counterfeit notes should call the police immediately and take note of the description of the person who gave the notes, said the police.

They should also place the notes in a protective covering such as an envelope or a piece of folded paper to prevent further tampering, and hand them over to the police.

The police added that information on the security features of genuine Singapore currency is available on the Monetary Authority of Singapore website.