CCTV captured two scammers targeting shops across Scotland with fake bank notes.
Two young men attempted to use fake Bank of England £20 notes at store ‘What Everyone Wants’ in Hamilton last week.
Staff at the shop on Purdie Street in the town sharedCCTVimages of the pair on social media and warned locals to report them to police.
Nabeela Sattar Akmal, 42, who runs the ShopSmart store in Blackwood, nearLanark, said she was targeted by the same conmen on Tuesday, February 18. She said she recognised them from the social media post.
Speaking to the Record, 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 said sorry I only have a £20 note. My husband took the cash but I went to my messages and pulled up the picture on Facebook warning of counterfeit notes.”
Mrs Akmal said the two men appeared to be aged sixteen to early twenties and spoke with Irish accents.
“I showed my husband who quickly ran out and called him back,” she said. “My husband said to the lad that his money wasn’t real and said we couldn’t accept the sale.
“The second lad was being aggressive but then I showed him the Facebook photo and he returned our cash before taking the fake bank note.
“The fake note was so realistic it passed the UV light test.”
Businesses owners have been warned to remain vigilant after a number of shops, takeaways and supermarkets have reportedly been targeted with the fake notes in recent weeks.
Laura Innes, a shopkeeper who works inGlasgow, said: “The same guys were in my shop.
“They have targeted five shops in the area with the same scam.
“The bank notes passed the UV light test but I could tell something wasn’t right.
“I went out to find them but they had already fled.”
Laura said criminals are constantly developing new ways to produce fake bank notes that bypass a standard UV light test.
She added: “Fake notes often have a number 20 subtly written on them instead of the number being printed into the note.
“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.
“These types of tricks can still pass a UV light test.”
The National Crime Agency warned people to stay vigilant over counterfeits, saying: “The market for counterfeit currency has changed over the last ten 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.”
They urged that anyone who finds fake bank notes should report it to their local police.