The Reserve Bank of Tonga is reported to have released a statement warning the public to keep an eye out for counterfeit bills after it found a $50 forged paʻanga note.
Local Tongan newspaper Talaki said the $50 paʻanga bill does not have the circular security line around the image of the late King of Tonga as well as the security thread of plastic strip running from top to bottom.
This is not the first time a $50 counterfeit paʻanga found in Tonga.
In September 2011 police investigated following a report of counterfeit $50 pa’anga notes found by ANZ Bank and J.M.Store.
This came three months after over two thousand paʻanga was confiscated by police in Vavaʻu Island believing that it was part of a counterfeit ring.
It was later on returned to the owner after investigators found that they were all genuine $100 paʻanga bills.
In September 2008 Two Fiji nationals have been jailed for two years in Tonga after a court found that they manufactured and used counterfeit Tongan bills of up to 600 pa’anga.
Tongan Paʻanga bill
- There are security features printed on the Tongan pa’anga notes to ensure genuineness. These security features includes watermark of the King’s image visible when note is held up to the light, a security thread is embedded inside the note and visible silver dashes on the fronts of the $1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and $50 denominations and NRBT.
