Police Alert - counterfeit currency

Counterfeit banknotes in circulation are an ever-present issue for retailers in Scotland. Police Scotland has asked that members remain alert to counterfeit notes and report any incidents to the police.

The ‘Know your Scottish Polymer £20 notes’ and ‘Know your Scottish Polymer £50 notes’ PDF’s contain key security features to support retailers in identifying genuine Scottish banknotes.

As an example, they advise that current counterfeit RBS £50 notes can be identified by one key check – the upper half of the hologram/foil strip is gold, and the lower half is silver. The hologram/foil strip on genuine RBS £50 notes is silver for its whole length.

Information on how to check other Scottish notes, as well as Northern Ireland notes, can be found here.

Also on the Bank of England website it explains how to check English bank notes, including King Charles banknotes which entered circulation last year. There is also a handy advice for retailers and businesses page on their website.