Police have warned residents across Taiwan to be on the lookout for counterfeit NT$1,000 (US$33) bills bearing the serial number HR484268XD following a number of recent seizures.
On Wednesday, the Yunlin District Prosecutors Office said that two men surnamed Chang (?) and Huang (?) suspected of using or counterfeiting such notes had been arrested following a tip-off from local market vendors.
According to prosecutors, police seized 60 counterfeit NT$1,000 notes — all bearing the serial number HR484268XD — with the Yunlin District Court approving a request to detain Chang, 36, and Huang, 32, following questioning.
Authorities allege that Huang twice provided Chang with large numbers of counterfeit notes, which Chang then used to pay for delivery and taxi services.
The seizures in Yunlin come after 33 counterfeit notes with the serial number HR484268XD were discovered during the Dec. 26 arrest in Kaohsiung of a 27-year-old man, surnamed Lin (?), wanted on firearms and drug offenses.
At a press conference Wednesday, authorities in Kaohsiung said that Lin had told investigators he received the banknotes from a now-deceased foreign friend who owed him money.
On Tuesday, police in Taoyuan said they had arrested two people suspected of using counterfeit notes with the serial number HR484268XD to buy betel nut.
Meanwhile, authorities in Changhua said local market vendors had recently reported receiving counterfeit NT$1,000 notes with the same serial number.
According to Changhua County police, on Jan. 4, a vendor reported that he was paid NT$7,000 — all numbered HR484268XD — by a young person purchasing tickets to play a game at a night market.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel