On June 14, two young men paid with a souvenir Polish currency money bill of PLN 200 at the restaurant in Jabłonka, Lesser Poland. They were caught in one of the local shops when they to trick the salesman again. Luckily, he spotted the sign on the banknote and refused the transaction. The police were informed after the incident. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud or forgery, in this case, the value of the souvenir currency should be only sentimental or cultural.
After committing the crime, on the same day, 19 and 27-year-old men from Lipnica Wielka and Jabłonka reported to the police station for supervision. The officers immediately realized that it was they who had committed and attempted fraud. In addition, they had several dozen pieces of PLN 200 banknotes with the ‘souvenir’ inscription which, as it turned out, they bought on the Internet.
Artificial money comes in various denominations and is available for purchase, but it cannot be treatet as the mean of payment. The 19 and 27-year-olds were arrested for fraud. On Wednesday, they were brought to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Nowy Targ, where they heard charges under Art. 286§1 of the Penal Code. For the crimes they have committed, they may be imprisoned from 6 months to 8 years. The prosecutor applied supervision and a property bail against the 19-year-old, and a custody, property bail, and a ban on leaving the country for the 27-year-old.
The Lesser Poland police caution: We should carefully check the banknotes we receive. Souvenir bills come in various denominations and are intended for educational or entertainment purposes, and are not prohibited from sale or possession. However, they are not means of payment. By paying with them, we risk criminal liability.