Polymer banknotes - how to spot fakes

Although polymer (plastic) banknotes have been designed to make forgeries more difficult, this hasn't stopped criminals from trying.

Because of the frequency with which NFSP members have mentioned coming across forgeries, we spoke to Post Office Ltd's Security Team about providing comprehensive guidance on how to spot fraudulent polymer banknotes.

Members can read this guidance HERE.

This resource outlines what to be vigilant for in terms of the look and feel of specific banknotes (including £5s, £10s and £20s), and what members should do if they think they've been handed a fake.

The most reliable way of identifying a counterfeit banknote is to compare it with a note of the same type that is known to be genuine.