Check for counterfeit notes

DorsetDude

DorsetDude

Spud
Messages
7,018
Name
Keith
Edit My Images
Yes
Probably being paranoid but..

I think Ive got a buyer for something I put on gumtree last week. Only £40 odd so I imagine it'll be cash, just wondering the best way to quickly check Im not being given duds when they hand over? Got some more odds and ends to shift so worth knowing.

If I get offered a cheque tell them to get stuffed?

Cheers all.
 
You can get pens to check if the paper is real on the notes, hold it to the light see if it has a water mark in it, make sure the metal strip is in the note.

Ok all the above can be got round with a good copy but its a start.
 
DorsetDude said:
Probably being paranoid but..

I think Ive got a buyer for something I put on gumtree last week. Only £40 odd so I imagine it'll be cash, just wondering the best way to quickly check Im not being given duds when they hand over? Got some more odds and ends to shift so worth knowing.

If I get offered a cheque tell them to get stuffed?

Cheers all.
Click to expand...

If you get a £40 note its probably dodgy....

EDIT

about 10 years ago there were a load of fake notes going roud south wales. the biggest tell tale sign is the 'feel' of the note, the fakes feel more 'papery'.

Also smell them. People use hair products to make them feel more like real money.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
cheers all, I'll probably use the watermark /metal strip check and hope for the best.

Wasnt sure if there was some trick where you could rub 2 notes together and see if they smeared or something.

[EDIT: had a google and found this. Quite an interesting read.]
 
Last edited:
DorsetDude said:
cheers all, I'll probably use the watermark /metal strip check and hope for the best.

Wasnt sure if there was some trick where you could rub 2 notes together and see if they smeared or something.
Click to expand...

£50 notes leave red smears on paper if that's what your thinking of? Something about the ink not fully drying?
 
All UK bank note have sections on them that shine up under UV light, usually they look like simple bar codes, some Scottish bank notes also have parts of the design sensitive to UV.
 
Rapscallion said:
If you get a £40 note its probably dodgy....

EDIT

about 10 years ago there were a load of fake notes going roud south wales. the biggest tell tale sign is the 'feel' of the note, the fakes feel more 'papery'.

Also smell them. People use hair products to make them feel more like real money.
Click to expand...

Or if you have a cold so can't smell anything rub the note on your hair if your hair has the just washed look its got conditioner on the note :D
 
Advice I've been given (since this subject last cropped up recently) was to do the cash transfer in a bank and ask them to check the notes (coins also get counterfeited - it's dead easy to file the corners off a 50p to make a 5p...). TBH, if the buyer's happy to aggree to that, chances are the notes are fine!
 
I used to work in a supermarket and only had to check the 50's with the pen. In my opinion for £40 it's probably a bit OTT, I havnt seen a fake note in years and the last was one of those old £5 notes.
 
My local Co-op check all notes handed to them with the pen regardless of denomination.
 
ACW said:
£50 notes leave red smears on paper if that's what your thinking of? Something about the ink not fully drying?
Click to expand...

All UK bank notes do leave smears on paper as the intaglio ink (the raised print) never dries fully. Also the paper is UV dull ie will not glow under UV light.
 
Last edited:
connersz said:
I used to work in a supermarket and only had to check the 50's with the pen. In my opinion for £40 it's probably a bit OTT, I havnt seen a fake note in years and the last was one of those old £5 notes.
Click to expand...

You're far more likely to find a faked £5/10/20 note as they are so common as people assume it'll always be the highest denomination note that is counterfeited. Produce a £50 note somewhere and it goes through the most rigorous scrutiny. I even got refused service once when I tried to use a £50 note on the basis 'it might be dodgy'. Ended up getting the restaurant manager involved as I refused to offer anything else.
 
Thanks for the tips all.

Well, of the 6 replies to my gumtree ad all asking if I still had the item, I replied in the affirmative and thats the last I ever heard. Is gumtree always like this? I might start another thread asking about it.
 
ACW said:
£50 notes leave red smears on paper if that's what your thinking of? Something about the ink not fully drying?
Click to expand...

^this

this is the only fail safe way to check money, the ink never dries on real money, something to do with the notes bing linen not paper

Works with all notes without fail
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top