I know a guy who claims to have got a fake $50 bill from an ANZ ATM two days ago. I've known him for a week or so, he's new in town and works for an NGO here. He seems a normal intelligent bloke.

He tried to pay his bill at a local bar/restaurant (I happened to have seen him in there on that evening so I know he was there) and couldn't pay in full having just $10 plus the dodgy $50. He paid what he could and they let him on his way on a promise to return with real money. I am not going to mention the bar in question, but I know he was in there.

He then came to another bar/guesthouse where he was staying and I happened to be in too. He told the manager and me what had happened and that he needed $2 for a TUK as all he had in his room were $100 bills. I gave him the $2 and he paid the TUK.

He then went to his room and got the good money and the bar changed it for him and he repaid me the $2 plus bought me a beer. He then showed me the receipt of the withdrawal. He took out $400 which was a mixture of $100's and the fake $50 and another good $50.

Has anyone seen fake $50's here? Is this new?

Here's a picture of the fake $50 and his ATM receipt which I asked to see after he told his story.

again;
not a fake bill
a copy bill

assume it says "copy " in Khmer as well,
very strange...

That receipt is no proof that bill came from the ANZ ATM.

My bet is someone changed the original 50$ for this 'ghost money' (as Cambodians call it) and it didn't come from the ATM.

The guy didn't have a 3$ massage somewhere in town, did he?

This money doesn't even 'feel' like real money.

My guess is he paid with a real $50, the waiter took it to the cashier, the money was then switched by either the waiter or cashier, the fake money was returned to the unsuspecting customer.

Kammekor wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 8:47 am That receipt is no proof that bill came from the ANZ ATM.

My bet is someone changed the original 50$ for this 'ghost money' (as Cambodians call it) and it didn't come from the ATM.

The guy didn't have a 3$ massage somewhere in town, did he?

1. True, it's not proof
2. Highly unlikely; he claims to have tried to pass it only once, and the bar in question doesn't play those kind of games.
3. Quite possibly. I will ask when I see him next.

Doc67 wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 8:58 am

Kammekor wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 8:47 am That receipt is no proof that bill came from the ANZ ATM.

My bet is someone changed the original 50$ for this 'ghost money' (as Cambodians call it) and it didn't come from the ATM.

The guy didn't have a 3$ massage somewhere in town, did he?

1. True, it's not proof
2. Highly unlikely; he claims to have tried to pass it only once, and the bar in question doesn't play those kind of games.
3. Quite possibly. I will ask when I see him next.

The chance of an exchange is a lot bigger than the chance of this piece of paper coming from an ATM.

My 2 cents.

Bubble T wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 10:11 am I can't recall ever getting a $50 note from a Cambodian ATM. $10, $20 and $100 only. That being said, I don't use ANZ.

I have been using ANZ for 10 years; never received a $50 note to the best of my recall.