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Police are warning the public to make sure the Queen is visible on their $50 dollar notes, as counterfeit bills circulate one of Auckland's most prestigious shopping areas.
When authentic bills are put against the light, a picture of Queen Elizabeth shows through.
Cameron Brewer from the Newmarket Business Association says life is not easy for the retail sector at the moment and they do not need to be dealing with fake bank notes.
"If it's not the recession, it's road works, power cuts and now counterfeit cash. Life's tough enough for the retail sector without now giving away products in exchange for monopoly money."
Mr Brewer says people should contact police if they suspect notes are fake.
"Given the recessionary environment I think it's fair to say we'll be seeing more cases of counterfeit money.
"We haven't seen a lot of counterfeit cases in the past few years."
However a negative economy will see more people turning to desperate measures and trying their luck.
Mr Brewer says unfortunately some innocent people may have these notes in their wallets.
- NEWSTALK ZB
