by Phil Coleman

Last updated at 12:59, Saturday, 02 March 2013

Police are warning people across north Cumbria to guard themselves against the scourge of fake money after counterfeit £20 notes were used in Carlisle.

A fake £10 note, top, compared to a genuine one

Last year brought a sharp rise in the number of fake notes in circulation, says The Bank of England. Anybody who knowingly tries to pass off counterfeit money as genuine is committing a criminal offence and several cases have been dealt with by the courts in Cumbria in recent years.

While Cumbria police believe there is no evidence of an upsurge in the use of such notes, officers say there are simple precautions people can take to protect themselves.

Cumbria police crime prevention officer Claire Stevens, based at the force’s Durranhill HQ in Carlisle, said: “There have been one or two incidents in the last couple of weeks where traders felt somebody has successfully used a forged note. It often comes to light as they go through their cash-checking procedure.

“All forged notes should be handed in to either the police or to the bank.

“But there are various counterfeit detectors which traders can use to check whether it is true currency.

“One checker involves using UV light and there is also a special pen which is a quick and easy way to check a note, which are widely available on the internet but we also sell them for £1 each.

“If anybody wants any more advice they should feel free to contact me or call their local crime prevention officer.”

Police also want to hear from anybody who can help them trace those who knowingly try to pass off fake notes as genuine ones.

The latest fake money to come to light in Cumbria were £20 notes, used in shops in Morton and Raffles on Monday evening. Compared to genuine notes, they were paler and felt different. The Queen’s face was also distorted.

The Bank of England has confirmed that last year there were 719,000 fake bank notes taken out of circulation – the highest figure in a decade, and nearly double the number of the previous year.

But experts stress that the relative value of fake notes compared to genuine ones remains very low.

Last year, the face value of genuine currency was more than £52 billion, compared to fake notes which had a face value of just over £13 million.

First published at 11:13, Saturday, 02 March 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk