Landing page banner

The Police will be charging two Bangladeshi men, aged 33 and 35, on 30 September 2025 for their suspected involvement in using and possessing counterfeit Singapore S$50 notes.

Between 22 and 25 September 2025, the Police received several reports of counterfeit S$50 notes being used at two separate locations in Geylang. In the first case, the 35-year-old man allegedly used a S$50 note suspected to be a counterfeit to purchase food at a restaurant along Lorong 22 Geylang. In the second case, the man, together with the 33-year-old man, allegedly used two S$50 notes suspected to be counterfeits to pay for services along Lorong 16 Geylang. 

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from CCTVs, the Police established the identity of the 35-year-old man and arrested him on 28 September 2025.  Preliminary investigation revealed that the 33-year-old man was involved in the second case, and he was subsequently arrested. The 33-year-old man was found in possession of another 12 pieces of S$50 notes suspected to be counterfeits. The notes were seized as case exhibits.  

The men will be charged in court on 30 September 2025 with the offence of using as genuine a counterfeit note under Section 489B of the Penal Code and possessing counterfeit notes under Section 489C of the same Act. The Police take a serious view of currency counterfeiting offences. Under the Currency Act, anyone found guilty of using counterfeit currency can be punished as follows:

• Forging or counterfeiting currency or bank notes under Section 489A of the Penal Code 1871 - punishable with an imprisonment term of up to 20 years, and a fine.
  
  
• Using as genuine counterfeit currency notes under Section 489B of the Penal Code 1871 - punishable with an imprisonment term of up to 20 years, and a fine.
  
  
• Possession of forged or counterfeit currency or bank notes under Section 489C of the Penal Code 1871 - punishable with an imprisonment term of up to 15 years, and a fine.
  
  
• Making or possessing instruments or materials for forging or counterfeiting currency or bank notes under Section 489D of the Penal Code 1871 - punishable with an imprisonment of up to 20 years, and a fine.

Members of the public are reminded to be vigilant when handling currency notes. Genuine Singapore notes have distinctive security features including watermarks, security threads, and specific paper texture. If you suspect you have received counterfeit currency, you should:

• Call the Police at ‘999’ immediately;
• Note down the description of the person(s) who presented the counterfeit note, including gender, race, age, height, built, clothing, tattoo and language/dialect spoken; and
• Limit the handling of the suspected counterfeit note and place it in a protective covering, such as an envelope or folded paper, to prevent further tampering and hand it over to the Police immediately.

Information on the security features of genuine Singapore currency is available on MAS’s website at: https://www.mas.gov.sg/currency/Identifying-Genuine-Currency.

Photos of counterfeit notes seized ▼