Police in Northern Ireland are encouraging retailers to be on the lookout for counterfeit Bank of England £20 notes that are known to be in circulation.
The most recent discovery was made in the Omagh area.
Pictured below is one of the fake notes (bottom) compared to a genuine note (top). At first glance the counterfeits are quite deceptive but there are a few features that you can keep an eye out for.
1. The serial numbers are the same. DE64 816983
2. The hologram on the lower left of the front of the note should alter between the words ‘twenty’ and ‘pounds’ when you tilt it. The fake note doesn’t have this feature.
3. This hologram is on a strip running from the top to the bottom of the note. Run your nail across this strip side to side. You will feel a ridge on the genuine note where the strip begins and ends which is not on the fake.
4. The rest of the hologram lacks details and has little if any iridescence.
5. The picture of Her Majesty on the reverse of the note is quite bleached out.
A police spokesperson said:
"Not all counterfeits will have the same flaws so it is important to check all of the security features. The best advice that we can give is to compare any suspect notes to genuine ones.
"If you are given a counterfeit note, advise the customer that you are obliged to retain it and contact police on 101."