By RIA Novosti,
Penza (Russia) : The police in central Russian city of Penza are searching for a man who paid for gold jewellery with Brazilian and Surinamese currencies, an official said Monday.
The unknown man bought goods worth over 30,000 rubles ($860) in a store, telling the shop assistant that the Brazilian real and the Surinamese guilder were currently more sought after than the US dollar and the euro.
“The swindler assured the shop assistant that the currencies were in great demand at the moment, and that their exchange rates were higher than those of the US dollar and the euro,” a police spokeswoman said.
One Brazil real currently trades at 15 rubles ($0.40). Surinamese guilders have not been in use since 2004, when they were replaced by Surinamese dollars.
The man is also suspected of using the Brazilian and Surinamese currencies to pay for goods in other shops in the region.