Police are asking individuals and businesses to be vigilant when accepting bank notes after ten reports of counterfeit notes were reported in Weymouth and Shaftesbury in April.
The police were contacted by a number of retailers in Weymouth and Shaftesbury after attempts to pay for small value items with counterfeit £50 Scottish Clydesdale notes between Wednesday 22 April and Friday 24 April 2020. Photos have now been released of four people they would like to talk to in connection with the matter.
Police Sergeant Anita Arliss from Dorset Police, said: ” In light of these reports I would urge businesses to be vigilant and take extra care to check any notes before they are accepted as payment. If retailers are in any doubt about the authenticity of a note, they can always decline it and ask for another payment method.
“I would also urge anyone who recognises the men pictured in the images, or who has any information that could assist my investigation, to please get in touch.”
Although counterfeit notes only make up a small percentage of those in circulation, it’s important to know how to identify a fake. There are various checks you can perform to check whether a note is a counterfeit. Full descriptions and images of Scottish bank notes can be found on the website for The Association of Commercial Banknote Issuers.
If you have any information about the suspected use of counterfeit notes or you would like to report an offence, contact Dorset Police via their website, by email or by calling 101 and quoting occurrence number 55200057464. You can also provide information or report a crime anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or contacting them via their website.