Cheshire Police warn people to be vigilant following reports of counterfeit notes across the county

Cheshire Police are warning businesses and private sellers to be vigilant following a number of reports of counterfeit notes being offered for payment.

Since last month police have received more than 30 reports of people trying to pay for goods with fake notes across the county.

From supermarkets and bakeries to pubs and fast-food restaurants people have been attempting, and in some cases, succeeding in using the notes to make payments. It is also affecting private sellers selling high value goods.

The notes are all denominations, but mainly £20.

DS Jordan Trentini said:

“Many businesses have the facility to check if a note is counterfeit, but private sellers who put items on online selling platforms such as Facebook Market Place don’t. As a result, we’ve had sellers handing over mobile phones only to find the money is fake when they try to use it or pay it into a bank.

“The advice is to look for genuine security features - comparing a suspect note with one that is known to be genuine. Never rely on looking for only one feature, and if you do have a counterfeit note make sure you report it to police and retain the notes for us to use as evidence.”

Check for as many as possible of the following:

• Serial number - Genuine notes have unique serial numbers therefore if you have two notes displaying the same serial number at least one of them is a counterfeit.
• Tilt - Tilt the note to see the colour change / foil features
• Look / Feel - Look for microtext and /or tactile features and the clear window(s).
• UV Light - Additional features include those which can be seen under an Ultraviolet (UV) light check that they are the right colour(s) and in the right position on the note.
• Printing - Raised print is used in some of the features on genuine banknotes and should feel slightly rough to the touch. Lines and print should be sharp and well defined with no blurred edges. Colours should be clear and distinct – not hazy.

There are more tips and advice on how to spot fake bank notes and what to do with them here:

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/counterfeit-banknotes/how-to-check-your-banknotes