Derbyshire Business Against Crime would like to alert businesses to a spate of counterfeit £20 notes being used in the Chesterfield area.  These are predominantly appearing in pubs, but clearly if notes are in circulation, it is important that all businesses who handle cash take heed of this warning.

Please be vigilant when accepting £20 notes - to assist you, there are some tips and information below that you are advised to share with those who take payment in your business.

The most common counterfeits remain the Bank of England £10 and £20 notes which circulate throughout the UK.

Genuine Bank of England notes contain easily identifiable security features which ordinary members of the public 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 when change the angle the note is held at Britannia and symbol of £20 should appear 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%  reliable method of checking banknotes and should only be used in conjunction with other factors such as watermarks and quality.

This information has been taken from NCIS (National Criminal Intellligence Service).
http://www.ncis.co.uk/counterfeit.asp

If counterfeit currency comes into your possession this must be reported to local police.  It is a criminal offence for you to knowingly bank, tender or keep counterfeit currency.