A YORKSHIRE Dales shopkeeper has warned businesses to be vigilant after she was given a forged plastic £5 note.

The fake fiver, believed to be among the first counterfeits of the new banknote, was handed over to Ann Waites in Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

Mrs Waites, who runs the Wobbly Dog gift shop in Leyburn, said she was given the note in another store – and intends to buy a detection device to prevent her from getting stung in her own shop.

The Northern Echo:

The front and back of the fake £5 note which was spent at the Wobbly Dog gift shop in Leyburn

She said: "I could kick myself when I am in my shop I always check but I was given it in another shop in town.

"It is an obvious forgery but I think that because they are new people aren’t not even used to the genuine ones yet."

With the new polymer notes issued in September last year, criminals have wasted no time in creating forgeries – and the Leyburn notes are believes to be some of the first in circulation.

Mrs Waites already has a device which has proved valuable in the past in detecting fraudulent pre-plastic notes and intends to buy a more sophisticated one.

She said: "In just two instances when I checked a counterfeit £20, it has paid for itself,” she said.

Among the tell-tale signs to check are: The Queen should be in the window to the left; Big Ben is gold on the face and silver on the reverse; the foil patch changes from pound to five; and the crown should be in 3D.

The Bank of England has said in the first half of 2016 around 152,000 counterfeit banknotes were taken out of circulation. With a face value of £3.3m, this is a tiny proportion of the 3.5 billion genuine ones in circulation.

North Yorkshire Police said they had no other recorded instances of counterfeit new £5 notes being passed. Inspector Mark Gee said: “I would urge any business to purchase and use overtly a good quality device to detect forgeries. Staff should not be embarrassed using it as they are protecting their business and the currency."

Polymer banknotes are manufactured from a transparent plastic film, coated with an ink layer that enables it to carry the printed design. The material allows the inclusion of windows in the design which enhance protection against counterfeits.

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