Check your wallet – any SR200 or SR500 note you have in there may be fake, the Ministry of Interior warns. Fake notes are in wide circulation, according to Col. Yusuf Al-Qahtani, spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior in the Eastern Province, where he said such notes have resurfaced. “This year police teams have investigated over 200 reported cases of fake 200 and 500 Saudi riyal bills, and we believe that with the New Year coming, currency counterfeiting activities will rise, which is why the public is urged to be vigilant,” Qahtani said. Counterfeit bills can easily be detected, he said. “The paper used in original Saudi currency notes is hard and a bit coarse in texture, whereas the fake bills are soft – the paper is not as hard.” Anybody who comes across a fake bill should report the matter immediately to the police. “Those who report finding a counterfeit bill are normally released, but those found having more than two counterfeit currencies are taken to the police anti-counterfeiting bureau for further investigations and their identification papers are copied,” Qahtani said. “This is standard procedure to pinpoint exactly how the fake currency changed hands,” he said. Banks, money exchangers, and even supermarkets now have laser detectors to spot fake bills. Drug smugglers and addicts mostly produce these fake bills using high-resolution photo-copiers, he said. Common victims are unsuspecting foreign pilgrims.
