The National Crime Agency (NCA) has detected a number of counterfeit notes in circulation in England and Wales where there is less familiarity with their designs.
To help businesses spot these counterfeit notes, the Association of Banknote Issuers has worked with the NCA to produce a new ‘Know your Scottish Polymer £20 Notes’ guide. It is hoped that this guide will aid retailers in checking notes at the point of sale to avoid being frauded by fake bank notes.
The ‘Know your Scottish Polymer £20 Notes’ guide can be found here.
In the document, the key security features of the current polymer £20 notes issues by the Scottish Banks. The key security features are:
- Clear Window(s)
- Spark® feature – Colour Changing ink Purple to Gold
- Holographic Foil – (Bank of Scotland & Clydesdale Bank)
- Iridescence (‘shimmering’ gold ink)– (Royal Bank of Scotland)
The absence of these security features in notes passed for payment indicate that they are in fact to be regarded as counterfeit.
The passing (or tendering) of counterfeit notes is a crime and should be reported to your local Police. Once reported, they will require the counterfeit notes together with any other relevant evidence and information (CCTV, description of suspects, details of the vehicle they were using).
The Scottish banks are withdrawing their paper £20 and £50 notes on the same day as the Bank of England, so 30 September 2022 will be the last day the paper notes can be used.
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