Counterfeit notes doing the rounds in Mbombela
Local restaurants, pubs, and shop owners in Mbombela have recently noticed an increase in counterfeit money passing through their business by paying customers.
According to the South African Reserve Bank, it is an offence to even be in possession of such notes and any person who is in possession of them knowingly is required to report this to the nearest police station or call 0860-010-111.
The South African Reserve Bank urges people to make sure they have real money and to rather take their time to test the money they have been given than to end up with counterfeit notes.
It encourages people to study their bank note features: flick them and listen to the sound, hold them up to the light and check them properly. Not to be embarrassed by this, but rather encourage other people also to do so.
After all it is nothing personal, but in today’s day and age it is better to be safe than sorry. There are multiple ways to identify counterfeit notes to real ones. It is all explained by an image on the South African Reserve Bank website.
Counterfeit money is a rapidly growing offence and it is punishable by 20 years in prison and a hefty fine if caught in possession or producing these notes.
The South African Reserve Bank specifies 11 ways of telling the difference from a counterfeit note to a real one. These include the watermark, the geometric shapes, the registration, the latent image, the unique numbering, the raised printing, microlettering, optically variable ink and the diamond shapes.
The image below will help you identify counterfeit notes. The most common counterfeit notes are R100’s and R200’s. Be vigilant, be smart, be suspicious of any and all notes to ensure you and your business remain on the safe side of the law.
