Police are advising business owners and employees to be vigilant after counterfeit Bank of England and Bank of Scotland £20 notes were passed recently in shops in Co Derry and Cookstown in Co Tyrone.
A PSNI spokesperson said it was “important” staff had the “right tools” and knowledge to detect fake notes.
The spokesperson added “There are a number of things to look out for but if you are unsure here are a few simple tips -
“Detector pens and ultra-violet lights can be used to check bank notes but don’t totally rely on them.
“Be careful not to use the pen on ordinary paper as this will lower its effectiveness and may lead to a genuine note being marked as fake.”
If a note is expected to be fake, police are offer the following advice:
· Feel – Most notes are embossed usually the writing or the logo. The note should feel crisp not limp, waxy or shiny. Security paper and special printing processes give banknotes a unique ‘feel’.
·
Look – at the print - the lines should be sharp and well defined with no blurred edges. The colours should be clear and distinct with no hazy fringes.
·
Tilt - Hold the note to the light. Check for the Watermark image and security thread. The Watermark should be hardly apparent until the note is held up to the light. The security thread will appear continuous when held up to the light. Check for hologram features on some of the notes.
·UV Light – under UV light barcodes are visible
·
Compare – both sides of a suspect note to one you know is genuine. Any discrepancies become more easily apparent.
·
Serial Number – If handed more than one suspect note, check the serial numbers are not the same.
For all bank notes, do not rely on just one feature to assess whether a note is genuine, check a few. If you get a suspect note you should:
·
Retain the note without putting the staff at risk
·
Contact the police
If the customer is unwilling to wait until police arrive, give them a receipt obtaining their name and address and explain that suspect notes subsequently discovered to be genuine will be returned.
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Derry Now editorial team. Between 9am and 5pm Monday to Sunday please call 028 7129 6600 for Derry City stories or 028 7774 3970 for County Derry stories. Between 5pm and midnight please call or text 07825 711978. Or you can email john.gill@derrynews.net at any time.