UK police force warns of surge in fake £20 notes – but here’s how to spot them | UK | News
The UK police force has issued an urgent warning to businesses, retailers and the public to “be careful” after seeing a rise in counterfeit banknotes being offered for payment. Since last month alone, Cheshire Police said it had received more than 30 reports of people trying to pay for goods with fake banknotes in the leafy north-west of England.
Police warned: “From supermarkets to bakeries, bars to fast food restaurants, people have tried and in some cases succeeded in using banknotes to pay.” They added: “This also affects private dealers selling high-value goods. The banknotes are all denominations, but mainly £20 denominations.”
West Mercia Police seize fake cash machine (Image: West Mercia Police)
Read more: Fake £100,000 ‘cash-making factory’ in heart of England unmasked
Read more: British tourists caught using fake money in Magaluf jailed
In a separate case last week – but underlining just how lucrative business counterfeit money has become for criminal gangs – the Express reported how West Mercia Police raided a house in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, and found more than £100,000 of counterfeit £20 notes, as well as the equipment and tools used to produce the counterfeit money.
In this instance, officers carried out a raid following intelligence work into the flagrant sale of counterfeit £20 notes on online auction and retail site eBay.
A 42-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of supplying counterfeit banknotes, was released under investigation while investigations continue.
Cheshire Police said on Friday they had seen numerous reports of counterfeit notes, prompting them to issue an urgent warning to be vigilant.
Det Sgt Jordan Trentini, of Cheshire Police, said: “Many businesses have the ability to check whether a note is counterfeit, but private sellers who put their products on online selling platforms such as Facebook Market Place do not.
“As a result, we have encountered sellers who handed over their mobile phones and when they tried to use the money or pay it to the bank, they realized that the money was fake.
“Our advice is to look for real security features by comparing a suspicious note with a note known to be genuine.
“Never rely on just one feature and if you have a fake note make sure you report it to the police and keep the notes for us to use as evidence.”
Counterfeit currency seized by West Mercia Police in early January (Image: West Mercia Police)
Police have issued a ‘checklist’ for suspicious customers to watch out for:
– Serial number – Original banknotes have unique serial numbers, so if you have two banknotes showing the same serial number, at least one of them is counterfeit.
– Tilt – Tilt the note to see color change/foil features
– Look / Feel – Look for microtext and/or haptic features and transparent windows.
– UV Light – Additional features include being able to see the correct color(s) and location on the note under Ultraviolet (UV) light control.
– Printing – Some features of original banknotes use embossed printing and should feel slightly rough to the touch.
– Lines and print should be sharp and well defined with no blurred edges. Colors should be clear and distinct, not blurry.
You can find more tips and advice on how to spot fake banknotes and what to do with them here.
Neil Harris, Head of the National Counterfeit Currency Unit at the National Crime Agency (NCA), said: “Notes sold online and marketed on social media as ‘backing notes’ are counterfeit and it is a criminal offense to possess, sell or use them as payment.
“We are seeing foil stickers added to these fake notes to disguise the ‘support notes’ text, and these foil stickers are also illegal to possess, buy or sell.
“In some cases the supply of counterfeit banknotes is linked to organized crime groups.
“The UK’s National Counterfeit Currency Unit at the NCA works closely with online retailers and social media platforms to prevent counterfeit money being advertised or to ensure they are removed when detected.
“We are sharing intelligence with police forces across the UK to identify criminals behind the sales to ensure the offenders are arrested and prosecuted.”
You can find further information on how to check Bank of England notes at the following links:-
Essential security features £20 Note: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/polymer-20-pound-note
Essential security features £10 note: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/polymer-10-pound-not
How to check all Bank of England polymer notes: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/counterfeit-banknotes/how-to-check-your-banknotes
