A warning circulated on social media alerts about the circulation of in Guantánamo, created from modified original 200 Cuban peso (CUP) notes designed to look like a denomination five times greater.
The alert was published by the regime's spokesperson page "Guantánamo and its Truth - With the Power of the People" and is accompanied by an image that visually shows the difference between the legitimate bill and the counterfeit one, with a circle highlighting the number "200" visible on the altered bill.
The technique involves physically altering a genuine 200 CUP bill to make it appear, at first glance, as a 1,000 CUP bill.
However, the counterfeiting has a weak point: "when observed against the light, the number 200 can be clearly distinguished, which confirms the forgery," according to the alert.
The Sur Hospital area in the city of Guantánamo is where the initial reported cases have been concentrated.
"This type of scam has already been reported in the Sur Hospital area, where several people have been affected after receiving these counterfeit bills in everyday transactions," the notice states.
The alert advises traders and citizens to "take extra precautions when handling cash, carefully inspect each bill before accepting it, and verify any suspicions."
In the event of any detected case, the public should report to the authorities: "Reporting these cases allows the authorities to investigate and act more quickly, contributing to dismantling the networks of counterfeiters and preventing more people from becoming victims."
This variant is potentially more deceptive than the techniques documented in previous years, when counterfeiters used faded five or 10 peso bills as a base to overprint the image of 1,000 CUP.
The 200 CUP bill shares more similarities in paper and security features with the 1,000 CUP bill, making it difficult to detect at first glance, especially in quick transactions.
The economic context exacerbates the situation: Cuba is experiencing a severe banking liquidity crisis that has intensified the use of physical cash, increasing the population's exposure to this type of fraud.
Guantánamo has recent history of organized criminal activity related to financial fraud.
In November 2025, authorities dismantled a national network of fraudsters in that province that operated with counterfeit dollars, defrauding nearly six million CUP and 1,000 dollars.
Similarly, in February of this year, there was also a warning about another type of cash scam: folding 500 peso bills so that, when counted quickly, it appears there is more money than there actually is.
The Cuban Penal Code (Law No. 151 of 2022) establishes penalties of two to five years of imprisonment for counterfeiting currency, although the recurrence of these offenses in various provinces of the country indicates that the threat remains.
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