Published: Saturday, 10th May, 2008 10:00
Take note: forged £20s in circulation
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TRADERS and shoppers are being warned to be vigilant after fake £20 notes have been used in the area.
Almost 40 counterfeit notes have been used in supermarkets, takeaways and petrol stations in the past two weeks.
Crime Reduction Advisor (CRA) John McNicholas said: “We have had a number of forged notes turning up in Reading town centre, five or six in Woodley, a few across Wokingham borough and several in Newbury.
“It seems they are targeting places where shopkeepers may not be so vigilant because of the pressures of having a lot of customers.”
Mr McNicholas has visited business around Reading, including pubs and bars, after police received 37 reports of forged £20 notes being used in the last two weeks.
He added: “It is important that shop keepers and public house owners remain vigilant and look out for the tell-tale signs.
“The fake notes are slightly smaller than the genuine ones but are darker in colour and the serial numbers are likely to be identical on each note.
“The overall quality of the forged notes is good with the paper and the feel of the note not too dissimilar from a normal note.
“Larger sums of money are involved so fake notes can easily be handed over. But we have had a couple of cases where smaller amounts are involved and change is expected. One was a 70p purchase where £20 was handed over and change given.
“If you do fall victim and are presented with any of these fake notes, they are of evidential value so handle them as little as possible and inform us at the police station immediately.”
Det Sgt Clare Knibbs added: “We urge people to contact the police if they suspect they are in possession of one of these notes as it is a criminal offence to knowingly bank, tender or keep counterfeit currency.”
Contact: 0845 8 505 505 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
What to lookout for:
• A lot of the notes in West Berkshire have the same serial number of AD75 838880. Other numbers include AA47341805, AA47467551, BB14888102, BB60882102, BB60912147, EL05562661
• The purple base colour is deeper than a real note.
• The watermark is indistinguishable.
Genuine Bank of England notes contain easily identifiable security features, which people can distinguish by sight and touch:
• Clarity of printing: should be sharp and well defined. There should be no blurred edges and clear colours front and back.
• Watermark should be clear and visible only when held up to the light and should be a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
• Silver thread strip runs through the note; it is not painted on the surface and should be visible as a continuous line when held up to the light and dashes when the note is placed flat.
• Paper, when in good condition, should feel crisp and slightly rough in heavy-printed letters. They should not be limp, waxy or shiny.
• New series £20 hologram change when the angle the note is held at between Britannia and symbol of £20 appearing alternatively.
• Serial Number: each banknote has an individual serial number which can appear horizontally and/or vertically.
• For businesses, counterfeit detection devices such as pens and UV lights are not a 100 per cent reliable method of checking banknotes and should only be used in conjunction with checks for factors such as watermarks and quality.
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