China Travel Forum

[malie]

I read that fake currency is rife in China. How do you tell if you receive fake currency? If you receive one and not realise, what normally happens eg. does the shopkeeper keep it and hand it to the police or do they just refuse to accept it and hand it back.
Thanks

[timosy]

Hi there, i've been here a couple of months and only been aware of getting counterfeits twice. There are many ways to tell the good and bad apart. Firstly the green number in the bottom right corner should change colour as you angle the note. Next if you have two notes together flick both and the one with a thicker sound is fake. Not that your gonna be checking it out that every second - Just watch the 50's and 100's as theyre the highest value and the ones with the bad reputation. Banks areobviuosly fine. The notes I got were just handed back, one at a club and the other a taxi driver.
It tends to be the sneaky vendors and touts that can switch money very slick. I'm sure you'll be fine.
Good luck over here!

[meng]

Hi there,
I got a fake 100 Yuan bill out of the ATM - must be from the ATM, because 100 is the highest bill they have, so you gever get it as an exchange!
But it was quite funny, China the country of fake stuff - why not fake money, too;-)
A Chinese offered 20 Yuan for my fake 100 - no, way! Ill give it back into the monetary cycle for the next lucky person;-)
Or keep it as a real FAKE souvenir.......
be careful arround china travel

[huk]

I was a victim of a fake RMB100. However, because I only convert money through banks in China, or before I go to China, I usually change currency in Hong Kong, I am pretty sure I got the fake money from one of those money changers in Hong Kong and particularly at the Chung King Mansion where I had it changed. To detect one, tear a very small part where there is a line on the note and the original one has fiber,like a very thin thread, but the fake is just plane paper no fiber. Color of the number can also help detect a fake one.

Not knowing that what I had was a fake one, I use it to buy some groceries but I was told that it was fake, and they returned it to me. So when I went back to the hotel, I asked the assistant manager for help to see if it is really fake and he said yes so I threw it away.

[kamal]

Don't be too worry. fake currency is not that rife as you imagined. As my experience, It happened to me only one time in recent 20 years. Of course, be wary when get your change back from the vendor.
Generally, fake currency is soft, smooth, and no watermark, or has watermark but the mark is not rough when touch it with your finger. If you use fake money, the bank will confiscate the money and give you an receipt. in other place, the fake money will be rejected and give back to you.