POLICE are warning retailers to check if cash handed to them is real or not.
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It comes after a spike in reports to police about counterfeit cash.
Bayside district crime prevention coordinator Acting Sergeant Brendon Winslow said bayside police had received 21 reports of fake notes being used in the past six months alone.
Almost 120 reports were made across the South Brisbane policing district, he said.
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Acting Sergeant Winslow said most attempts to pay for goods and services using counterfeit cash had involved fake $50 notes.
He urged retailers to check notes by their feel and appearance before accepting them.
“It’s difficult to make a counterfeit note look genuine and a closer inspection will help you identify a fake note from a genuine one,” he said.
“Often counterfeit notes are of a low quality copy. So ask yourself, does it look right?”
Counterfeit cash has no value and those paid with it are not reimbursed.
Acting Sergeant Winslow said goods and service providers had the right to refuse notes they thought were fake.
He said those who believed they had been given counterfeit cash should contact police.
“If you find you have a counterfeit note in your possession already, you should handle it as little as possible and store it securely,” he said.
Australian notes have a range of distinguishing security features like rolling colours, florescence under ultra-violet light and bird wing movements.
For more on how to distinguish Australian cash, visit the Reserve Bank of Australia’s website here.
