The occurrence of counterfeit notes is relatively low, when
compared to the quantity of notes in circulation, but it is important
to remember that such notes are valueless. If you have any doubt,
compare the note with another that you know to be genuine.
If you have a note that you believe to be counterfeit, and
you are sure who gave you the note, you should inform police
at once for investigation purposes. If you have no knowledge
of who gave you the note you are required to take it to any local
Bank or Police station, at which time a 'Retention of Counterfeit
Currency Form' will be completed, a copy of which will be given
to you for your records as a receipt. The Bank or Police will
retain the counterfeit note for recording and destruction purposes.
General Press Release
New £20 Note Design, Beware of Forgeries
Over £12m Counterfeit Banknotes were removed from
Retailers Bankings in the UK in , an increase of over 60%
from the previous year. Over 500,000 of these notes were £20
notes, including 61,000 Scottish £20s.
A worrying fact when all this comes straight off your bottom
line profits. Another worry is the Bank Of England introduced
a new design £20 note on 13th March 2007 so you need to
ensure your staff are aware of this and how to check for any
forged notes that will inevitably be in circulation at the same
time.
Anglo-Tech can supply a range of Counterfeit Detectors ranging
in price from under £2.00 to over £275.00 with the
most popular and appropriately named "Check a Note"
being the most effective and affordable unit to help retailers
Beat the Forgers.
For under £20 this unit checks and verifies the quality
of Banknote paper, which the forgers have yet to replicate. The
retailer simply 'swipes' a note through the unit and it will
leave a very pale yellow mark on a genuine note or the chemical
used will change to a very dark, almost black mark on a forged
note, making it very easy to spot the Fake Note, and save your
money.
Anglo-Tech provide a range of solutions and products to
find those Forgeries, along with Cash Counters, to make sure
your cash is counted and back in the Safe ASAP and away from
any opportunist theft, Till Guards, Note Safes & Coin Racks
We will also offer advice and guidance as to the best products
to suit your needs, not ours. Call or visit now for brochure
or advice.
See www.anglo-tech.com or call 01823 663 583 or E info@anglo-tech.com
New £20 Note Design 13th March 2007
The Bank Of England are to release a new design of the GB
£20 note on the 13th March 2007
Retailers are advised to be aware that, as with all new note
issues, forgers are always ready within days, to counterfeit
these new notes, and to supply them into the Retail market, while
many staff are still not even aware that a new Note Design has
been issued, what they look like, or what to look for to ensure
that only Genuine notes are taken in their Tills. Check a
Note will verify all English, Scottish, Euro and US dollar
notes as fake (leaves a dark mark) or genuine (leaves a pale
yellow mark).
Feel
of the paper - banknotes are printed on special paper, which
feels rough, not smooth or shiny and should not feel limp, oily
or waxy.
Raised print -. By running your finger across the note
you can feel raised print in some areas, such as the words 'Bank
of England' on the top, front of the note, or the 20 in the lower
right front on the new £20 note.
Metallic thread - the thread is embedded in the paper
in all banknotes, and appears as silver dashes on the back of
the £20 note. When held up to the light, the metallic thread
appears as a continuous dark line
Watermark - hold the note up to the light and you will
see an image of the Queen's portrait and also a £20 on
the new £20 note, on top of her head.
Also there are series of horizontal 'bars'
that run through the foil thread.
On many Fake notes, these watermarks will show very clearly under
UV light, which they should not. This is because they have been
put onto the note with plastic film, and not made inside the
note.hich they should not. This is because they have been put
onto the note with plastic film, and not made inside the note.
Quality of printing - Lines & colours are sharp,
clear and free of any blurring or smudging. Micro-print -
using a magnifying glass, look closely at the lettering beneath
the Queen's portrait - you will see the value of the note written
in small letters and numbers. This should
appear as continuous lines and not a series of dots.
Hologram - on the front of the old £20 note there
is a hologram on the foil patch. If you tilt the note, the image
will change between a brightly coloured picture of Britannia
and the number '20' On the new £20 note a series of holograms
will change from the head of Adam Smith to a 20 and another shows
a 20 and a £ symbol. The figure 20 is also embossed on
the strip.
Fluorescent feature - if you put a £5, £10
or old £20 note under a good quality ultra-violet light,
its value appears as a bright red and green patterned numeral
on the front lower left, while the background is dull in contrast.
The new £20 shows this on the front, top centre and also
has random coloured flecks of red and green on both sides of
the note. Under ordinary light there is no trace of this number.
This feature is not found on an English
£50 note, but a foil emblem is. This shows a reflective
Rose and Medallion.
Scottish Banknotes, Additional Features
to above
Watermark - Each bank
has its own watermark, which is hardly visible until it is held
up to the light. Each family series of notes contains a multi-tonal
portrait watermark matching the printed portrait subject.
See Through - Each family of
notes has its own see through feature. When held up to the light,
the clear areas of the features fill in with colours.
Serial Numbers - Each note has
an individual serial number, which can appear horizontally and/or
vertically.
Fluorescence - All notes contain
fluorescent features, such as buildings, windows or bars which
only show up under an ultraviolet light. They do not feature
the Numerals as seen on the English notes.
Hologram - Some notes have an
additional feature in the form of a silver foil containing holographic
images. The images and colours change depending on the angle
of observation.
Courtesy of the Banks of England and Scotland, Anglo-Tech
Services (Tel 01823 663 583) and Forgery Detection Association
591,473 FORGED BANKNOTES WORTH £12m FOUND IN THE UK
Are you fed up with finding Forged Notes in your takings
??
Well over half a million notes, with a value of over £12m,
was deducted from cash banked by UK retailers in .
The quantity of English Forged notes increased by some 53%,
while the Value of these forgeries went up by over 60% from the
previous year. Scottish forgeries also went up by 50% in qty
and over 65% in value for the same period, with 86,473 Counterfeit
notes deducted from Retailers Banking.
The increases of Forged notes continues to rise year on year,
while the quantity of new Banknotes printed has fallen by over
350m since 2003.
Figures for bulk seizures of notes, seized by the Police and
Authorities before entering into circulation, are not known at
this time.
It is a criminal offence to hold or pass on a note that
you know to be counterfeit
FORGED ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH BANKNOTES REMOVED IN
2004/5
Below are just some of the serial nos of Forged Notes that
we know have been taken by English and Scottish Retailers in
the last few weeks alone.
Bank of England
£20 Notes - BF2383 2634, BC617 3521, BK 0995 5761 / 75
/ 92, AJ3968 8073, BE21 695435 (This note has very good UV 20
on front lower left of note)
Bank of Scotland
£20 Notes - EE484450, EE470538, DZ173454
£10 Notes - C/94882653, ER 808551
Clydesdale Bank
£20 Notes - BN495636, BE514639, BG527092,
£50 Note - AA736293
£5 Notes - l777104
Royal Bank of Scotland
£20 Notes - B/19 472539, B/19 600823
£10 Notes - C/89 444769, EX76109
£5 Note 801339
Check-a-Note is the simplest, easiest and most cost
effective unit to ensure you only take genuine notes in your
cash tills.
Sometimes the Bank of England receives counterfeit banknotes
several months after they are found because, for instance, the
police may retain them as evidence or banks may accumulate a
stock before sending on to the Bank of England.
Consequently the annual estimates are often subject to some
further, upward revision.
The Bank seeks to combat counterfeits in three ways.
First, Bank of England banknotes are designed to make them
difficult to copy by both traditional and computer-based printing
methods. The security features that the notes carry, like raised
print, watermarks and holograms provide a series of hurdles for
the would-be counterfeiter. In addition the designs are very
intricate with varying patterns and fine lines. The Bank works
closely with De La Rue, as the printer of Bank of England banknotes,
to ensure that the banknotes issued are of a uniform high quality.
The Bank continues to research and develop enhanced security
features for Bank of England banknotes which may be suitable
for future designs.
Secondly, the Bank provides a wide range of public information
leaflets, posters and videos about Bank of England banknotes
to help cash users check that their banknotes are genuine. In
line with best international practice the Bank has begun conducting
public perception surveys about the quality of banknotes in circulation
and about the incidence of counterfeits. Also, the Bank has been
improving the range of information it has available by, for instance,
expanding the range of leaflets and posters, revising the Bank's
website and offering computer based training software about banknotes.
Thirdly, the Bank works closely with law enforcement agencies
investigating counterfeit banknotes. It is clear that big operations
to produce counterfeit Bank of England banknotes tend to be associated
with organised crime and so are often related to other forms
of serious crime such as the distribution of illegal drugs. Staff
in the Bank provide forensic expertise about counterfeiting methods
and expert witness statements for court cases. In this context
the Bank is very grateful to the assistance provided by the police
authorities and in particular West Yorkshire Police who last
year seized around 200,000 counterfeit banknotes in a raid on
a printing operation.
Banknotes are issued by three note-issuing banks in Scotland
and by four in Northern Ireland.
These note issues, apart from small "authorised"
issues, have to be backed pound for pound by Bank of England
notes.
Owing to the combined size of these issues - well over a billion
pounds - it would be cumbersome for the Bank to hold ordinary
Bank of England notes as cover. Instead, special one million
pound notes are used. These notes are for internal use only
and are never seen outside the Bank.
Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are responsible for issuing
their own notes.
Information courtesy of the Banks Of England
and Scotland and the FDA
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