TOKYO, Jan 12 (News On Japan) –
What seemed to be an extraordinary 100-yen coin turned out to be a counterfeit after rising from a change machine at a capsule toy specialty retailer, prompting a Japanese tv character to share his expertise on social media.
The coin appeared real at first look, however as an alternative of the acquainted cherry blossom design on the reverse aspect, it bore letters written within the Roman alphabet.
Smiley Kikuchi mentioned he initially couldn’t imagine what he was seeing. “At first, I just thought, ‘What is this?’” he recalled.
Kikuchi defined that the counterfeit coin was blended in with change he obtained after exchanging a 1,000-yen invoice on the capsule toy retailer, with just one faux coin among the many actual ones.
“The thickness and the feel were exactly the same. I honestly thought it was a real 100-yen coin,” Kikuchi mentioned. “If counterfeit money starts circulating, it could cause huge losses for shops. That really worries me.”
Although the faux intently resembles the actual factor, one clear distinction is that it lacks the ridged edge discovered on real 100-yen cash. Online, others have additionally posted that they’ve seen comparable counterfeit cash.
On a Chinese e-commerce web site, reporters confirmed that greater than 50 such cash have been listed on the market. The reverse aspect of the coin options the title of a specific recreation console. When N-Sta contacted the producer of that recreation console, the corporate strongly denied any involvement.
“We have absolutely no connection to the production of this coin,” the producer mentioned, including that it’s contemplating consulting the police, saying its enterprise has been disrupted.
According to authorized specialists, producing counterfeit cash like these may represent a violation of the Law for the Control of Counterfeit Currency and Securities.
However, the obligation of somebody who unknowingly makes use of such a coin is extra complicated. Kazuo Makino, a lawyer and lecturer at Ryukyu University Law School, mentioned that an individual who makes use of a faux coin with out understanding it’s counterfeit wouldn’t be responsible, however proving a lack of knowledge could possibly be troublesome. “If you feel something is strange, it is best to report it to a police station,” Makino mentioned.
Kikuchi reported the incident to the shop, which has since filed a harm report with the police.
Source: TBS