Interview original text: "Counterfeit Coins Infiltrate Buses and Supermarkets"

In recent days, many readers have reported to our newspaper that they often receive counterfeit 1-yuan and 5-jiao coins. During interviews, individual vendors also told reporters that they receive fake coins daily, and bus companies and supermarkets have suffered significant losses as a result. One bus company received over 2,400 counterfeit coins in a single day, and a chain supermarket received up to 1,000 fake coins in one day.

Reporter investigations found that many citizens are indifferent to the existence of counterfeit coins. In fact, this lack of concern has led people to let their guard down against fake coins, while also giving criminals who manufacture and sell counterfeit currency an opportunity.

Unwittingly accepting counterfeit coins

Over the past few days, reporters have investigated 1-yuan counterfeit coins at supermarkets, bus companies, vegetable markets, and newsstands. During the interviews, reporters learned that the main reason for the widespread circulation of 1-yuan counterfeit coins is a lack of knowledge about how to distinguish genuine from fake.

On the morning of December 17, a reporter used a counterfeit 1-yuan coin to buy a newspaper at a newsstand on Xinwen Road. However, the newsstand owner took the coin without even looking and casually tossed it into the cash box. The reporter asked the owner if this method of accepting money could lead to receiving counterfeit coins. The owner helplessly said that he often receives counterfeit 1-yuan coins. He admitted that he knows nothing about how to distinguish genuine from fake renminbi, and on his worst day, he received 20 counterfeit 1-yuan coins. The owner also said that when encountering fake coins, they have no right to confiscate them and can only refuse to accept them, but more often than not, they unwittingly take them.

The reporter asked the owner to find the counterfeit 1-yuan coin that had been secretly marked earlier and to examine it closely. The owner retrieved the fake coin, scrutinized it, frowned, and smiled at the reporter. He said, "This coin is fake—it's even rusted. But the craftsmanship of counterfeit coins is getting better and better; you can't tell without a close look."

At a newsstand on Jingtian Road, a female owner told the reporter that she is very careful when collecting coins and refuses any that feel suspicious. She also mentioned that despite being extremely cautious, she still received three counterfeit 1-yuan coins today.

The owner also revealed to the reporter that a group of people often come to the newsstand carrying a bag of counterfeit 1-yuan coins, asking to exchange them with her. The exchange rate, she said, is 1 to 2, meaning 50 yuan in real money for 100 counterfeit 1-yuan coins.

The counterfeiting "craftsmanship" varies in quality.

At a convenience store on Heping Road, the owner showed the reporter over a dozen counterfeit coins, saying these were all received over the past few days. Upon close inspection, the reporter found that the "craftsmanship" of the counterfeit coins varied greatly. Some, with a high iron content, easily developed rust spots on the surface, while others had blurred patterns and lines. Compared to genuine coins, the counterfeits were thinner and slightly lighter. The owner told the reporter that this indicates different counterfeiters, each with their own techniques.

The owner also said that when collecting payments, he usually checks large-denomination banknotes carefully, and the counterfeit detector is very effective for identifying fake paper money. However, there is no dedicated machine for verifying the authenticity of coins.

Public transportation and supermarkets are severely affected.

The reporter saw on the bus that the driver and conductor had no time to check the coins passengers put into the fare box, especially on crowded buses where it was impossible to carefully distinguish real coins from fake ones. A conductor told the reporter that at busy stops with many passengers getting on and off, they had to maintain order and sell tickets, leaving no time to check the authenticity of the coins.

A manager of a bus company in Shenzhen told the reporter that their company operates hundreds of buses and receives nearly 700 yuan in fake coins daily, with the highest single day seeing over 2,400 fake coins, resulting in an annual loss of up to 260,000 yuan. He also said that the company operates an unmanned ticketing system, making it very difficult to prevent the use of fake coins.

The manager also told the reporter that their company hands over the fake coins received each day to the bank, which destroys them uniformly.

Yesterday morning, the reporter visited a relatively large chain supermarket in the city. The supermarket's manager, Mr. Zhang, told the reporter that they have four branches in the urban area of Shenzhen and find fake coins in circulation every day, with the highest single day seeing over a thousand fake coins.

Mr. Zhang also told the reporter that to improve the cashiers' ability to distinguish fake coins, they invited professional bank staff to train employees. Through training, the cashiers basically achieved the ability to "identify at a glance and feel at a touch," thereby reducing the economic losses caused by fake coins to the supermarket.

They did not take fake coins seriously.

Director Liu of a commercial bank branch told reporters that as the country's economic level continues to improve, the income level of the people has significantly increased, especially the disposable income of Shenzhen residents, which has been rising year by year. Many people have begun to "ignore" coins, not taking this "small change" seriously at all, and some even think that "small change" is not money.

Director Liu said that now citizens often come to the bank to ask about methods for identifying counterfeit large-denomination banknotes, but in recent years, he has never encountered a citizen asking how to identify counterfeit coins. He feels that citizens' attitudes toward coins have become increasingly indifferent.

Director Liu also told reporters that the government and banks are now promoting more and more methods for identifying counterfeit large-denomination banknotes. This, in turn, has created a "blind spot" for citizens in identifying counterfeit coins. The technical means for distinguishing counterfeit coins are not widely available, and the promotional effect is not ideal.

Citizen Mr. Wang said that he finds coins inconvenient to carry around, and their denominations are too small. When shopping or receiving change, he doesn't even glance at them, let alone check for authenticity. He believes many citizens have this habit, simply taking or spending coins without ever distinguishing whether they are real or fake. He said this gives criminals an opportunity to exploit the situation.

A small shop owner told reporters that a small number of counterfeit coins are generally not easily detected. Even if they are noticed, he doesn't pay much attention when receiving money, and counterfeit coins face much less resistance in circulation compared to counterfeit banknotes.

Real coins are heavier and thicker, while counterfeit coins are lighter and thinner.

Regarding the issue of how to distinguish genuine coins from counterfeit ones, a reporter interviewed Director Yang of the Anti-Counterfeit Currency Division of the Monetary Gold and Silver Bureau of the People's Bank of China by phone.

Director Yang told the reporter that currently, there are no widely available instruments for identifying counterfeit coins in the market, but counterfeit coins in circulation can be distinguished by sight and touch. He said that genuine 1-yuan coins are made of high-carbon steel, while counterfeit 1-yuan coins are made of low-carbon steel. Director Yang explained that counterfeit 1-yuan coins have a high iron content and will rust on the surface after a period of circulation.

Director Yang further explained that genuine 1-yuan coins have a thicker nickel plating, while counterfeit 1-yuan coins have a thinner one. After some time, the nickel on counterfeit 1-yuan coins will automatically peel off, resulting in a rough surface. He reminded the reporter that the center of the peony flower on the obverse of genuine coins is crafted with great detail, while that of counterfeit coins is rough; genuine coins are cleaner and heavier, while counterfeit coins, due to their high iron content, are lighter; the edges of genuine coins are neatly pressed during minting, while the mechanical process for making counterfeit coins is substandard, resulting in smooth and slippery edges.

Using counterfeit currency worth over 4,000 yuan may result in a fine of up to 10,000 yuan.

Regarding the criminal penalties for possessing or using counterfeit currency, the reporter interviewed Lawyer Huang Yuanshen from Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm. He explained that according to Article 172 of the Criminal Law, anyone who knowingly holds or uses counterfeit currency, if the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention, and shall also, or shall only, be fined between 10,000 yuan and 100,000 yuan; if the amount is huge, the sentence shall be fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years, and a fine between 20,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan; if the amount is especially huge, the sentence shall be fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years, and a fine between 50,000 yuan and 500,000 yuan, or confiscation of property.

Lawyer Huang also told the reporter that Article 19 of the "Provisions on the Standards for Tracing Economic Crime Cases" by the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Public Security stipulates that anyone who knowingly holds or uses counterfeit currency with a total amount of 4,000 yuan or more shall be subject to prosecution.

Lawyer Huang explained that a total amount between 4,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan is considered "relatively large"; a total amount between 50,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan is considered "huge"; and a total amount above 200,000 yuan is considered "extremely huge".