Fake ‘twenty poond’ notes being spent in Cornish tourist town
Shopkeepers have been warned to keep an eye out.
Shopkeepers have been warned to keep an eye out for dodgy £20 notes circulating around Bodmin town centre.
At first glance the cash could pass as legitimate, with a similar purple colour scheme and picture of Queen Elizabeth II’s face.
But on closer inspection, the fake notes have ‘Twenty Poond’ written on them and all bear the same serial number of DB66 888800.
They also feature a backwards pound sign and the words ‘This is not legal. It is to be used for motion props’ – which is a bit of a giveaway.
Police are now warning businesses to keep their guards up after receiving reports of people using or attempting to use the toy money in shops and takeways in the popular tourist town, Cornwall Live reports.
Writing on the Bodmin Police Facebook page PCSO Annear said: ‘As you can see from the attached photos, these notes are clearly fake.
‘They are all exactly the same, with the same serial number and wording identifying it as “toy” money. We ask shopkeepers to remain vigilant when accepting notes.’
It is not the first time twenty poond notes have been spotted in circulation in the UK.
In November last year the Guardian’s media editor Jim Waterson and a friend tried to use them to pay for breakfast at a London cafe and were turned down.
It turned out his pal had withdrawn the counterfeit notes the previous weekend from a cash machine at the Lancaster branch of the Yorkshire Building Society.
The money lenders said they were investigating the matter and that their ATMs are managed by a third party.
An array of fake notes intended to use as props are available to buy on eBay.
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