A now viral image of one of the allegedly doctored banknotes.
Social media warnings about a new spliced banknote scam have sparked a wide online dialogue and fears of yet another street scam.
The scams involve cutting high value notes in half and then fusing them with low-value ones of the same color.
Layering doubt upon doubt, several participants claim that the warnings themselves are a hoax.
The scam was first called out on social networks.
“With this ploy, one can score VND1 million (US$47) from VND520,000,” a Facebook entry wrote.
“The spliced banknote halves are often used at night when people can’t check their notes closely,” it said.
Images of the doctored notes (whereby a VND500,000 was cut in half and fused to half a VND20,000 note) have spread widely online.
Some have complained of having fallen victim to the scam.
“I myself was cheated this way and only found out later. People should be very cautious,” Hoang Quyen wrote on her Facebook page
A member of 5giay.vn even said some swindlers have attached two halves of VND200,000 and VND10,000 to perpetrate a similar scam.
Others argue it’s probably just a photoshopped image designed to stir up controversy.
“I don’t believe it [...] the two notes are different sizes and can’t fit together,” Anh Tuan said on vozforums.com
Phan Vu writing on his Facebook claimed the swindlers trim the doctored notes and hide them in stacks of other VND500,000 notes.
Meanwhile, many bankers say they haven’t heard anything about the ploy.
“It could be just a rumor and a photoshopped product. Because people check carefully whenever they receive a high value note,” said Bui Van Hoa, a creditor with Sacombank in Ho Chi Minh City.
However, Quynh Tran said in a Facebook entry that people should be cautious rather than debate the source of the images.
“Some people may not believe, but they should be cautious. People should check the money they receive carefully even if there is no such ploy.”
Đăng ký: VietNam News
