FAKE £50 notes are doing the rounds in Newton Abbot and the rest of south Devon, police have warned.
Officers are advising shopkeepers and business owners in the targeted areas to be on their guard after receiving several reports of false Bank of England £50 notes being circulated locally.
So far two different serial numbers have been identified and linked to the counterfeit £50s – HK10 234322 and BC02 245667.
Serial numbers on genuine banknotes are unique, so if anyone has a note carrying the numbers quoted they are not likely to be in possession of the real penny.
Anyone suspecting they have been duped should contact police on 101 quoting reference CR/68293/16.
A spokesman today said anyone spotting trade in dud notes should contact police immediately on 999 if the suspect was still in their company.
‘If not they should make a note of their description and any vehicle they are using,’ advised the spokesman.
He revealed that the bogus notes do not appear to be detectable with the use of counterfeit detection pens.
But they can be readily identifiable as counterfeit by checking some of the key security features present in the genuine article.
They are:
* Genuine notes feature a serials of green rectangles on the visible part of the thread which contains the £ symbol and number 50. Movement can be seen when the note is tilted or moved. With counterfeits there are just green printed squares without detail or movement.
* Genuine notes have a watermark which contains a picture of the Queen with a bright and contrasting £50. Duds appear to contain a watermark (Queen and £50) but there is no contrast between them.
* Genuine notes feature raised print with Bank of England text across the note and also the lower right corner. The counterfeits do not have raised print.