By Esther Tan
WHEN Mr G.S. Lee withdrew some money from an OCBC Bank ATM at Compass Point earlier this month, three of his $50 notes seemed a bit strange - the letters 'KF' were on the top right hand corner.
The bank told him then that there was 'no problem with the notes', he said, but the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has since clarified that such notes have been mutilated on purpose and are therefore worthless.
The letters looked 'legally imprinted', said Mr Lee in an e-mail to The Straits Times online portal, Stomp, asking what the letters might mean. But 'KF' is not part of the $50 note's design, said MAS' spokesman, adding it did not know what 'KF' stood for.
'Notes with such markings are considered to be deliberate mutilation and they command no value,' she added.
Anyone who has notes with the markings can take them to the banks to be exchanged, she said, and MAS will take the notes back as an 'act of grace'.
When contacted, OCBC's head of group corporate communications Koh Ching Ching said currency could have become defaced while being circulated.
She said the bank's ATMs will be checked so any other mutilated notes can be retrieved.
She added that OCBC's tellers are 'trained to look out for defaced or mutilated notes and handle them as per guidelines provided by MAS', and that it has reminded its staff to be vigilant.
If any of you have this note, dun worry, you can change it with the banks as we have a gracious MAS. As an "act of grace" they will accept it back. Seem to me that "KF" wasn't written on it as Mr Lee noted that they looked "legally imprinted". Wondered how could OCBC's trained tellers tell Mr Lee the KF note has "no problem" while MAS commented that the note is mutilated. Maybe MAS got special scanning machine that our highly effective banks dun have? Maybe MAS printed wrongly? Surely NOT! NEVER! Must be some bored fellas somehow managed to "print" the letters into the notes in remembrance of their love ones.
Currently we dunno what KF means. KAE(hokkien for not real), FAKE? luckily not NKF otherwise will have another strom. Actually I would like to have 2 of this worthless $50 if anyone of you have it. Cause to me, KF means Kayzia Foo or Kieran Foo. Contact me.For the record, I dun work for MAS or any banks;) so I didnt do it ok?.....
