Banknote Checking Scheme alert

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has issued updated advice for checking Scottish £20 and £50 notes, created in collaboration with the Association of Commercial Banknote Issuers (ACBI). This advice aims to help you identify genuine banknotes and avoid accepting counterfeits. Retailers, particularly outside Scotland are still accepting counterfeit £50 notes.

The NCA has provided detailed guides titled ‘Know your Scottish Polymer £20 notes’ and ‘Know your Scottish Polymer £50 notes,’ which outline key security features. For example, counterfeit RBS £50 notes can be identified by the color of the hologram/foil strip: genuine notes have a silver strip throughout, while counterfeit notes have a gold upper half and a silver lower half.

Additional information on checking other Scottish and Northern Ireland notes is available on the ACBI website. The NCA has also included letters with further details about these notes to support retailers in identifying counterfeits.

Know your Scottish Polymer notes handout