Life as a sidewalk seller can be tough. Your daily earnings are uncertain, and the weather can make things even harder. But there’s something even worse: fraudsters trying to trick you.
Nurul Shima, a seller known for her budget-friendly side dishes, recently had a scary encounter and shared the incident in a social media platform, X.
Nearly gets tricked into accepting fake RM50 note
A customer tried to pay with fake money, and Nurul almost fell for it.
She noticed something odd about the RM50 bills the customer gave her. They felt strange, much harder than real money.
Her instincts kicked in when she noticed the peculiar texture and appearance of the money.
The moment I held those notes, I could tell something was off. They felt harder than genuine one,” Nurul Shima remarked.
Refused to pay via QR code
What made the situation even more dubious was the customer’s reluctance to complete the transaction through a QR code payment, a common method in today’s digital age.
“The customer had ordered two packs of food, totaling RM7. But what struck me as strange was how insistent he was on receiving the RM43 change in a hurry.”
These strange behaviors left Nurul Shima convinced that the money she had received was counterfeit.
“When he got caught, I just gave him the meal for free. I don’t want to prolong the situation, I always say this; not to mistreat others, especially about food,” she added.
Nurul Shima urged fellow sellers to exercise caution and stay vigilant in similar situations.
She admitted that, in the heat of the moment, she had returned the counterfeit money to the customer, partly due to the presence of other customers.
Detailing the fake money’s characteristics, Nurul Shima noted that it felt harder than genuine currency and lacked the intricate details, such as a shadow or a clear image of the first Portrait of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong when held up to light.
Despite her close encounter with counterfeit money, Nurul Shima acknowledged that detecting fake currency with the naked eye can be a daunting task.
Reactions from netizens
The incident has received many reactions from netizens.
One individual commenting, “I bet he didn’t want the meal. He just wanted the balance.”
Another netizen shared a similar experience, saying, “Similar case in Kuantan recently. The meal only costs RM7 but they paid RM100. Pity the seller, lost RM93.”
In response to Nurul Shima’s ordeal, some netizens offered valuable advice on how to detect counterfeit money and differentiate it from genuine currency:
- Touch: feel the note’s surface whether it’s rough or smooth.
- Flip – check for fine print (micro print).
- Illuminate – use a UV lamp.
- Inspect – gently inspect for special features like watermarks and holograms.
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