POLICE are advising shopkeepers and business owners in Devon to be on their guard after several instances of fake Bank of England £50 notes being passed have been reported in Newton Abbot.

So far two different serial numbers have been identified as being linked to these counterfeit £50 notes: HK10 234322 and BC02 245667.

Serial numbers on genuine banknotes are unique, so if you have a note carrying this number it is liable to be counterfeit.

There may be other serial numbers linked to the batch of counterfeit notes.

The notes do not appear to be detectable with the use of counterfeit detection pens.

They can be identified as counterfeit £50 notes by checking some of the key security features present in genuine notes.

1. Genuine notes feature a series of green rectangles (the visible part of thread) which contains the “£” symbol and the number 50 and movement can be seen when the note is tilted / moved. In the counterfeit notes there are just green printed squares (no detail or movement).

2. Genuine notes feature a watermark which contains a picture of the Queen with a bright / contrasting “£50”. The counterfeit notes appear to contain a watermark: the Queen and “£50” however there is no contrast between them.

3. Genuine notes feature raised print – “Bank of England” text across the note and also the lower right corner. The counterfeits do not have raised print

If you find one of the counterfeit £50 notes in your takings please contact police on 101 quoting reference CR/068293/16.

If you recognise one during a transaction, call the police on 999 immediately.

Counterfeit banknotes are normally removed from circulation very quickly, and represent a tiny proportion of the genuine banknotes in circulation.