The incident occurred at the Ai-Tem Money Exchange kiosk located near the entrance to the Laguna complex at around 2:50pm on Saturday (Dec 14), Cherng Talay Police reported.
The shop employee, Dechawanit Sama-kas, reported the incident to police at 4:22pm. the same day.
According to Mr Dechawanit, three foreign men entered the shop, with one of them presenting four US$100 bills to be exchanged for Thai baht.
The individual, identified as 37-year-old Muzaffar Nishanov, an Uzbek national, handed over his passport for verification.
Upon examining the dollar bills, Mr Dechawanit discovered that they were counterfeit. When informed of this, Mr Nishanov reportedly became agitated and demanded the return of the bills.
The situation escalated when Mr Dechawanit stated that he would report the matter to the police. At that point, Mr Nishanov and his companions fled.
Police have launched an investigation and are working to track down Mr Nishanov and his associates.
Legal action will follow upon their apprehension, Cherng Talay Police said.
No physical damages were reported in connection with the incident.