'Be more vigilant' - counterfeit note victim warns

Joanne and Ray Gansberg had a counterfeit note passed over their counter and discovered it while cashing up last Tuesday.

Ray is an avid note and coin collector – he noticed a notable distinction that there was no watermark of the coat of arms on the fake note when held up to the light, which is a hallmark of a real note.

Joanne said it was a “very high quality fake”.

“We put it up against a real note and it was slightly larger,” she said.

“It’s very hard to pinpoint [when we received it], that fake note could have been there for many days. It could have gone through several hands before it came to us.”

Joanne said there was at least one stall at the markets in Donnybrook two weekends ago who also received a fake note.

The Australian Federal Police need to keep track of where all counterfeit notes are handed in to.

As soon as they realised it was forged, the Gansbergs went to their local bank to get it verified – the bank held on to the note to follow protocol.

“There’s no reimbursement from anyone.

“It’s the second time it’s happened to us. That note was more obvious and we caught the culprit.”

Joanne is warning business owners to be vigilant when receiving money.

“Don’t be frightened of offending anyone. Be on the look out because it’s not good,” she said.

“Small business can ill afford to lose money these days. We all work bloody hard for what we get.”

For information about counterfeit note detection or to download the free bank note app, visit: banknotes.rba.gov.au