Two scammers used fake £20 notes in shops. CCTV images have surfaced as the pair target areas across Scotland.
The shop, “What Everyone Wants,” is on Purdie Street. Staff shared CCTV images on social media and warned people to call the police.
Nabeela Akmal, who runs ShopSmart in Blackwood, said the same men targeted her on February 18th. She recognized them from social media.
Nabeela said her shop was busy, and her husband was serving customers when a younger man with black bin liners waited in line to buy them. She thought she knew him from somewhere, and he paid with a £20 note. Her husband took the cash while Nabeela checked Facebook for warnings.
Mrs. Akmal said the men looked young, seemingly sixteen to early twenties, and spoke with Irish accents. She showed the picture to her husband.
He ran outside and called the man back, saying the money wasn’t real and they couldn’t sell to him. The second man became aggressive. Then she showed him the Facebook photo, and he returned their real cash, taking back the fake note.
The pair targeted shops in the central belt and the fake note looked very real. It even passed the UV light test in the shop.
Business owners must be careful now, as fake money has been used recently at shops, takeaways, and supermarkets.
Laura Innes, who works in a Glasgow shop, said those same guys came in and tried the same trick at five shops. The fake notes passed the UV test, but Laura knew something wasn’t right. She went to find the men, but they had already left.
Laura said criminals make better fakes now that can pass UV light tests. Fake notes often have “20” written subtly, instead of being printed.
English £20 notes have a small window. Fake notes often lack “20” in that window. These tricks still fool UV lights often.
The National Crime Agency warned everyone to watch out for counterfeits because the fake currency market changed recently. High-quality fake paper can be made fast.
Skilled printers use offset methods while organized groups use digital fakes. They use new tech and laser or inkjet printers.
Offset printing remains the bigger threat because those notes have high quality. Criminals break down large batches of fakes and street-level criminals then distribute them.
They said anyone who finds fake money should alert their local police.