Retailers warned over counterfeit notes

Notes in $20, $50 and $100 denominations have been used in a counterfeit scam.

Retailers are being warned to be on the lookout for counterfeit bank notes after a number of reports of fake cash being used across the North Island.

Notes in $20, $50 and $100 denominations have been used in the scam, police said, in which a small item from a shop or supermarket is paid for in a high denomination note. The offenders then receive change in legitimate bank notes.

"Retailers should be alert to this practice, especially over the busy Easter weekend," Senior Sergeant Simon King of the Wellington District Command Centre said.

If retailers are suspicious about cash being used in their shops, Mr King advised them to take the following action:

• Consider refusing to accept the note.

• Record the description of the person offering it.

• Record the number plate and description of any vehicles used by the person.

• Call police on either the local number or 111, preferably while the person is still in or near the shop.

• Retailers should also consider their own safety first when dealing with such people.

* For information on how to identify counterfeit notes, go to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand website and look under 'notes and coins'.