Counterfeit 500 and 200 Peso Bills Circulating in Chetumal

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Merchants in the city of Chetumal have reported receiving counterfeit 500 and 200 peso bills. At least 17 cases have been reported so far, but it is estimated that more counterfeit bills are in circulation.

One of the victims, identified as Enrique, reported that in the last week alone, merchants have registered 17 cases of counterfeit bills used in commercial transactions.

“In some cases, they were detected in time by the cashiers, but unfortunately in others we do not realize because they are handed to us in bundles of real bills, taking advantage of the fact that we are rushed due to high sales, which makes it difficult for us to verify large volumes of payments,” he explained.

He explained that the second scenario happened to him: he sold items worth 27,000 pesos to a person who paid in cash. It was not until the night, when they did the count, that they realized that the bundle they had received contained 12 counterfeit 500-peso bills.

Also through social media, merchants have warned that scammers are making their moves with money that is very difficult to verify, as at first glance it passes all security measures.

An important fact is that the circulation of counterfeit high-denomination bills in southern Quintana Roo has increased, to be used mainly in transactions that require a high volume of cash, which allows the counterfeit bills to be “camouflaged.”

Another relevant fact is that if a bill is suspected to be counterfeit, it should not be used to make payments, as it is a federal crime punishable by up to 12 years in prison.