The two young men attempted to use the fake Bank of England £20 notes at the What Everyone Wants store in Hamilton, Scotland last week, and were caught on CCTV.
CCTV footage has captured two fraudsters attempting to use counterfeit bank notes in shops across Scotland.
The pair, two young men, tried to pass off fake £20 Bank of England notes at the ‘What Everyone Wants’ store in Hamilton last week. The shop shared images of the duo on social media and urged locals to report them to the police.
Nabeela Sattar Akmal, 42, who operates the ShopSmart store in Blackwood, near Lanark, claimed she was targeted by the same conmen on Tuesday, February 18. She recognised them from the social media post.
Nabeela said: “My husband was serving customers and dealing with a rep at the same time, so it was quite hectic in the shop. The younger lad came in and was in the queue with a packet of black bin liners to buy. I was standing near the counter and had this feeling that I had seen him somewhere before.”
When he came to pay for his purchase, he apologised for only having a £20 note, reports the Daily Record.
“My husband accepted the cash but I checked my messages and found the Facebook warning about counterfeit notes.” Mrs Akmal described the two men as being between 16 and early 20s and speaking with Irish accents. “I showed my husband who quickly ran out and called him back,” she said. “My husband told the lad that his money wasn’t real and we couldn’t accept the sale.
“The second lad became aggressive, but when I showed him the Facebook photo, he returned our cash and took back the fake bank note. The fake note was so realistic it passed the UV light test.”
Business owners have been put on high alert after a spate of reported incidents where shops, takeaways, and supermarkets were hit by fraudsters using counterfeit notes. Glasgow shopkeeper Laura Innes recounted her experience: “The same guys were in my shop. They have targeted five shops in the area with the same scam.”
Laura noticed something amiss despite the notes passing the UV light test: “The bank notes passed the UV light test but I could tell something wasn’t right.” After realising the deception, she attempted to confront the culprits: “I went out to find them but they had already fled.”
Laura highlighted that criminals are getting craftier at creating fake bank notes that can fool basic checks, explaining: “Fake notes often have a number 20 subtly written on them instead of the number being printed into the note. ” She also pointed out a specific feature to watch for: “There is also a small window at the bottom of an English £20 note.
Often fake notes don’t have a 20 printed in the window. Despite these discrepancies, such counterfeits can still pass UV tests, she warned. The National Crime Agency has echoed the call for vigilance, noting: “The market for counterfeit currency has changed over the last 10 years.
“High quality counterfeit paper can be produced very quickly by skilled printers using traditional offset lithographic methods.
“However, organised crime groups are also producing digitally printed fakes, using the latest technology and laser or inkjet printing techniques.
Offset lithographic printing remains the more serious threat; notes are of a high quality and can be produced quickly. Circulating fake money is high risk, so large batches are broken down for distribution, usually by street-level criminals.”
It urged anyone who comes across counterfeit banknotes to report it to their local police.