Fake Zimbabwean banknotes intended to be mistaken for HK$1,000 bills have reemerged in the city.
The notes include the words “Hong Kong Standard Chartered Bank” in Chinese, but also feature the words “Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe” in English. They first emerged in Hong Kong in 2011.
A clinic in Tsim Sha Tsui received one of the fake notes on Wednesday. The texture felt real and included a serial number starting with “AA”, reported Apple Daily. They are almost identical to $1,000 Zimbabwean notes other than the addition of Chinese text and the date “Hong Kong 1 July 2013”.
Each are signed by “Dr.G.Gono Governor”, yet Hong Kong banknotes issued by Standard Chartered Bank should be signed by its chief financial officer or its chief executive officer. A similar note was used at a Sheung Shui store two weeks ago by a mainland shopper. The cashier did not accept the note.
The police confiscated 109 such banknotes in 2011, according to Apple Daily.
In 2009, two Bank of China branches in Zhejiang, China also found 16 Bank of China HK$1,000 Zimbabwean banknote forgeries. As of this year, the Zimbabwean dollar is no longer legal tender in the country. The outdated $1,000 note fetches around US$5.99 (HK$47) on auction sites.
