'Check your change' warning after wave of forged notes

Published on Saturday 23 May 2009 11:18

CHARITY shops are being targeted by counterfeiters, with nearly £2,000 in fake bank notes seized in the past week alone.

Police say they have recorded a "notable increase" in fake 20 notes circulating in the city, with criminals seeking out stores where security measures are less advanced.

A charity shop in Deanhaugh Street and the Royal Bank of Scotland in West Circus Place contacted police last Thursday, having discovered four suspected fake notes.

One charity chain has taken in three counterfeit notes from its stores in Stockbridge, Tollcross and Gorgie in the past week.

In each case men, who were all in their early 20s, tried to buy low-value items with fake 20 notes. Staff spotted the forgeries and the men fled.

Sergeant Stuart Fletcher, of Lothian and Borders Police's A Division Safer Communities Department, said: "It would appear the charity shops in particular have been targeted in this case, but we would urge all shop workers to double-check any notes handed over.

"These notes are relatively good fakes, but when handled there is a marked difference compared to genuine notes.

"Looking at the paper quality, print quality, metallic security thread, and watermark are three simple ways of checking if the note is counterfeit."

Four Royal Bank of Scotland 20 notes, all carrying the same serial number, were recovered from charity shops, and copies of notes from other banks and denominations have also been springing up around the city.

The notes recovered elsewhere were of varying quality, and some were found to be bearing the same design on both sides.

Sgt Fletcher said: "As well the RBS notes we have recovered notes bearing the Bank of Scotland logo, and it's not just high value notes."

He said shopkeepers should not focus their attention on "any one denomination or on any one bank" when checking for fakes, adding: "It's important to be vigilant, particularly at times when you might be rushed or distracted such as in the middle of a busy club.

"Check your change carefully and notify the manager if you believe you have been given a forgery.

"If anyone suspects they have been handed a fake bank note, they should seize it and hand it in to police for investigation. If you are unsure where it came from, take it to the relevant local bank.

"It is a criminal offence to hold or pass on a note that you know to be a counterfeit."