US dollars what shape can they be in?

[SirLancelot]

Don't bring any older "small face" bills and yes ... the better the condition is the more likely it will be accepted.

 

Beware of counterfeit 100 RMB notes, they are quite common. Also beware of a shop taking your 100 RMB note to the back room (or whatever) and then bringing it back saying that it is counterfeit ... they switched your note for one that is bad.

 

 

Are you serious about the counterfeit bills,switching good bills with bad ones? Wow !!!! thanks for the heads up on that one.

 

Yes, I am serious. As a Laowei you are a prime target for mischief. It is often better to allow your lady to make any purchases without you being present.

 

Yep, sad to say, but laoweis are prime pickings in China, especially by taxi drivers. As a laowei, you're not familiar enough with the currency to detect fakes. So one trick that's done in Shanghai--and I'm sure all over China--often is if you give an unscrupulous taxi driver a 100RMB note, there is a good chance you may get back a fake 50RMB note with the change. You simply wouldn't know you've received a fake until you use that 50RMB at a later time. Then you'll know but it's too late then.

[TootTaLu]

Hi,

I been to Russia,a few times,and they would examine US dollars with magnifine glasses,to find the most smallest flaw on the bill,and then say"no good"...Is China the same way?Do I have to make sure,each dollar bill I bring is in mint condition?

JIM

I was in Japan in 2002 and I had all my money in NEW $5 Bills

(Big Head Linclon bills).

I went to the bank and tried to change $100 in to Yen.

 

The guy fed the $5 bills in to a machine,but they were so new his machine could not read them.

The guy was embarrassed,scratched his head,then called his boss over.

 

I assumed the boss wouls straighten it out and change my money.

 

He said "Sorry,no change money."

 

Before I travel,I collect US Cash that has NO pen or pencil markings,is very clean,and is $5,$10 and $20 bills.

 

I had $1,000 is 20's from my bank,and 50% of them had writing on them.

The bank people thought I was kind of strange because I wanted only "clean money".

[GZBILL]

I gave some good advice on how to spot counterfeit money on page one. I deal with a lot of different denominations and it's not really too difficult to detect bad bills if you follow my advise.

 

The important thing is to take your time when doing an exchange. The reason Taxi drivers are so successful at passing fake bills is because 1). they get a lot and need to pass them on to someone else and 2). one is usually in a hurry to pay and be on their way so they don't really look at the bills. Take your time and inspect the bills.

 

I, almost daily, refuse or exchange bills if I have even the slightest doubt, always without a problem. The strange thing is that I have never seen a fake 10 spot.

 

Although I agree it is easy to spot counterfeit Chinese currency, the fact is that not everybody has the time or the custom to check after each and every single transaction. And then you have to worry about coins: 1/3 of the coins in circulation are also fake.

 

A common scam is that you pay with 100 RMB and the merchant hands you back your money saying he can't change 100. The problem is that he switches the good 100 you tried giving him for the fake 100 he returns to you.

[chilton747]

My wife does all of our exchanges while I am in China. She looks all of the money closely. I had no idea it was that bad there. Guess I need to study up on their currency.

[SirLancelot]

My wife does all of our exchanges while I am in China. She looks all of the money closely. I had no idea it was that bad there. Guess I need to study up on their currency.

 

It's bad to the extent that laoweis are easy picking because most of them are unfamiliar with the currency. But for the loaweis who actually live and work there, they start to learn soon enough. But as a visiting/touring laowei, it's indeed pretty dangerous your first time visiting China. For the local Chinese, it's not that big of a problem, as they're quite use to their currency and can almost tell intrinsically whether it's real or fake. Also, the locals don't really try to pass off the fake currencies to fellow locals. They know most fellow locals can tell the difference. But the unscrupulous ones will definitely try to prey upon the unsuspecting, ignorant laowei tourists.

 

slw268 wrote:

I gave some good advice on how to spot counterfeit money on page one. I deal with a lot of different denominations and it's not really too difficult to detect bad bills if you follow my advise.

 

Yes, of course SLW268; your advice was very good. Still, for someone new to China, it's not that easy to tell the difference until you've seen a lot of Chinese currency. For you, I'm sure it's easy as pie now as you've seen so much of it. But I still have some problems with well made fakes. And as GZBILL suggests, an American is generally not use to constantly checking the currency with each transaction.

 

It's so much easier in the US as everything--or almost everything--can be purchased with a credit/debit card so that I don't have to deal with fake currency. Even a $3 mocha can be purchased with a debit/credit card at Starbucks in the USA.

[GZBILL]

Easy as pie?

Hell, I get taken all the time. Like Bill sez, even the coins are fake.

Just need to be extra careful.

 

In spite of what we may think, the people who get conned most with fake money are the Chinese people themselves. Just as there is this not-so-far-from-reality joke that you can't have Guangzhou hukou until you have had at least 5 bicycles stolen from you, I don't know any of my Chinese friends, neighbors, colleagues or acquaintances who will not admit to at least having taken 2 or 3 counterfeit bills at one time or another. And coins? Forget it!

 

The whole concept of eternal vigilence is nice, but when push comes to shove it's just a concept best utilized by government. It just doesn't happen.

 

Minimize your exposure. Carry a rabbit's foot.

[chilton747]

Easy as pie?

Hell, I get taken all the time. Like Bill sez, even the coins are fake.

Just need to be extra careful.

 

In spite of what we may think, the people who get conned most with fake money are the Chinese people themselves. Just as there is this not-so-far-from-reality joke that you can't have Guangzhou hukou until you have had at least 5 bicycles stolen from you, I don't know any of my Chinese friends, neighbors, colleagues or acquaintances who will not admit to at least having taken 2 or 3 counterfeit bills at one time or another. And coins? Forget it!

 

The whole concept of eternal vigilence is nice, but when push comes to shove it's just a concept best utilized by government. It just doesn't happen.

 

Minimize your exposure. Carry a rabbit's foot.

I will bring one with me this fall.

[chilton747]

Easy as pie?

Hell, I get taken all the time. Like Bill sez, even the coins are fake.

Just need to be extra careful.

 

We just got back from HK and let me tell ya what! I was absolutely lost with the plastic money there

Plastic money is good. Only way I know of to reproduce this is with a flexo press. Ink jet and laser printers won't work.

[TootTaLu]

I gave some good advice on how to spot counterfeit money on page one. I deal with a lot of different denominations and it's not really too difficult to detect bad bills if you follow my advise.

 

The important thing is to take your time when doing an exchange. The reason Taxi drivers are so successful at passing fake bills is because 1). they get a lot and need to pass them on to someone else and 2). one is usually in a hurry to pay and be on their way so they don't really look at the bills. Take your time and inspect the bills.

 

I, almost daily, refuse or exchange bills if I have even the slightest doubt, always without a problem. The strange thing is that I have never seen a fake 10 spot.

 

Although I agree it is easy to spot counterfeit Chinese currency, the fact is that not everybody has the time or the custom to check after each and every single transaction. And then you have to worry about coins: 1/3 of the coins in circulation are also fake.

 

A common scam is that you pay with 100 RMB and the merchant hands you back your money saying he can't change 100. The problem is that he switches the good 100 you tried giving him for the fake 100 he returns to you.

Consider that probably most foreigners visiting China stay for 5 days or less.

 

My Iranian friend is a tour operator in Beijing,and he invited me along with his small group to go to The Great Wall and The Summer Palace.

 

The group were a Dutch airline crew and staying in China a very short time.

 

Exiting The Summer Palace the group bought souvenirs.

 

One person received an old Russian bill,but did not notice.

When the Iranian tour operator discovered this,he went to the Chinese vendor (a different person,because the con went hiding) and the correct money was happily handed over to the victim.

[TootTaLu]

Its the green fake 50rmb notes that I have seen a lot of.

 

They look real,until you compare them with a genuine 50rmb bill.

 

I hate to receive 50rmb notes,and my fiance ALWAYS checks them for me after a purchase.

 

I have even see a FAKE 1rmb coin!

 

I must say that in my 2 years+ living here in China,I have never knowingly been given any fake money,but I have seen a few fakes passed to Chinese people.

 

Beware of those green 50rmb notes!!!

They look very good.

[SirLancelot]

The 50RMB note is exactly what did me in as well.

 

Gave a 100RMB note and received a fake 50RMB note back in change that I didn't notice until too late.

 

Its the green fake 50rmb notes that I have seen a lot of.

 

They look real,until you compare them with a genuine 50rmb bill.

 

I hate to receive 50rmb notes,and my fiance ALWAYS checks them for me after a purchase.

 

I have even see a FAKE 1rmb coin!

 

I must say that in my 2 years+ living here in China,I have never knowingly been given any fake money,but I have seen a few fakes passed to Chinese people.

 

Beware of those green 50rmb notes!!!

They look very good.

[TootTaLu]

The 50RMB note is exactly what did me in as well.

 

Gave a 100RMB note and received a fake 50RMB note back in change that I didn't notice until too late.

 

Its the green fake 50rmb notes that I have seen a lot of.

 

They look real,until you compare them with a genuine 50rmb bill.

 

I hate to receive 50rmb notes,and my fiance ALWAYS checks them for me after a purchase.

 

I have even see a FAKE 1rmb coin!

 

I must say that in my 2 years+ living here in China,I have never knowingly been given any fake money,but I have seen a few fakes passed to Chinese people.

 

Beware of those green 50rmb notes!!!

They look very good.

Dont count on that "foil strip" either,because they can fake that too.

On the back of the 50,there are very fine lines in the background,and when compared to a real 50,its clear to see the fake.

 

ALSO NOTE,the "new" China money actually have several different versions,so though all the 50's are green,there are various security features.

Not all new bills the same!

[pkfops]

6 x 2.5 inches.

[GZBILL]

The 50RMB note is exactly what did me in as well.

 

Gave a 100RMB note and received a fake 50RMB note back in change that I didn't notice until too late.

 

Its the green fake 50rmb notes that I have seen a lot of.

 

They look real,until you compare them with a genuine 50rmb bill.

 

I hate to receive 50rmb notes,and my fiance ALWAYS checks them for me after a purchase.

 

I have even see a FAKE 1rmb coin!

 

I must say that in my 2 years+ living here in China,I have never knowingly been given any fake money,but I have seen a few fakes passed to Chinese people.

 

Beware of those green 50rmb notes!!!

They look very good.

 

Not only fake 50's, but there are a lot of fake 100's and many more fake 20's. Fake coins aren't a big problem because people just use them for bus fare.