Key facts
Stop the note from circulating
Do not use the banknote for another purchase, exchange it with someone else or hand it on as change. Bank of Thailand guidance says not to use or pass a counterfeit banknote and states that using counterfeit notes is illegal. Trying to recover the value by spending a suspicious note creates the exact risk the official instruction tells you to avoid.
Keep the wording careful: you have a suspected note, not a confirmed counterfeit. The Bank of Thailand publishes security guidance that can explain why a feature caused concern, but a visual check by a visitor is not an official determination. Do not write on, damage or circulate the note as a test.
Use the official reporting path
The central bank directs a person to notify police immediately, take the note to the nearest police station, or contact the Bank of Thailand through the banknote contacts displayed on its guidance. Its Banknotes FAQ independently repeats the police-or-Bank-of-Thailand route and the warning about knowingly using a counterfeit note.
The two reviewed Bank of Thailand pages list different contacts for related banknote functions. Rather than combining them into one undifferentiated number, open the current page for the relevant Banknote Management or Banknote Literacy contact. Police remain the clearly stated in-person reporting route.
Preserve context without creating danger
If it is safe, note when and where you received the banknote and retain any receipt or transaction record already in your possession. This can help explain the incident, but the frozen official sources do not state a universal evidence list, proof requirement or reimbursement procedure. Do not delay the official report while trying to build a perfect file.
Do not confront, detain, accuse, follow or secretly record the person who passed the note. The official route is reporting, not private enforcement. If there is an immediate threat or active crime, use the appropriate police or emergency channel rather than treating a banknote information contact as emergency dispatch.
Do not assume reimbursement or an instant verdict
Neither reviewed page establishes that the holder will be reimbursed, that a shop must replace the note, or that an authority will decide its status within a set time. Keep those outcomes unknown. The supported action is to stop circulation and place the suspected note and incident information with police or the Bank of Thailand.
Contact details and branch responsibilities can change, especially for a high-impact financial and criminal-risk question. Reopen the official Bank of Thailand pages before using a telephone number. This answer does not authenticate a banknote and should never be used to label a person or business as involved in counterfeiting.
Evidence
Sources
2 dated records support the material facts on this page.
- Counterfeits / Counterfeit Banknote (opens in a new tab)
Bank of Thailand, Banknote Managementofficial governmentChecked
- Banknotes FAQ (opens in a new tab)
Bank of Thailand, Banknote Literacy and Public Relations Sectionofficial governmentChecked