Counterfeit cash used in Napier twice in a week

A comparison between the counterfeit $50 note presented at Garden Depot Napier on Monday, and a real $50 note. Graphic / NZME and Supplied

Counterfeit cash has been used at least twice in Napier in one week.

Police are aware of at least two reported incidents in which the counterfeit notes were used to purchase goods,

Garden Depot owner Stuart Kyle Lindsay said a culprit came in his store about midday on Monday.

"He walked into our shop, he asked a few questions about some plants and whatnot, and when we didn't have what he was asking for, he picked up a ten dollar cactus and proceeded to pay with a counterfeit $50 note which we found in the till after he had left."

He said the store clerk took the note at face value at first and hadn't realised it was fake until opening the till again later on.

"It clearly had no watermark on the note, it was printed on paper, this one had gotten a little bit wet so the ink had run, the clear plastic bits were clearly not up to scratch and the note itself had none of the foiling marks or whatever you want to call it on it."

He said he got surveillance footage of the suspect and went to the police.

"I rang the old 105 number and he said they'd had a number of calls of this sort of thing happening through the country at the time."

He said he wanted to warn others who could potentially fall victim to the scam.

"He got the $40 change out of me and if he is going through the entire country doing this, he could pick up a few dollars pretty quickly."

A police spokeswoman said police have received two reports of counterfeit notes being used in the Napier area.

"The first was on 28 May at a petrol station in Hospital Hill, and the second on 30 May in Pirimai," they said.

The spokesperson said there were no further lines of inquiry in relation to the May 28 incident, but the investigation into the May 30 incident is ongoing.

No one has been arrested in relation to either case.