Police investigating fake banknotes in Bay of Plenty

People in the Bay of Plenty are being urged to properly inspect cash notes after fake $50 bills were found in the region.

Police said the counterfeits were presented at various businesses in the region recently, and that they were making enquiries about where it came from.

"It is an offence to make, use or be in possession of counterfeit notes

"Businesses should not accept a fake banknote, but if anyone has one already, they should put it in an envelope and contact police."

The Reserve Bank has a number of tips to help people spot fake banknotes:

• Check the material of the notes. Polymer notes, which are used in New Zealand, have raised printing that can be felt.
• Check the windows of the note. They should feature a hologram of a fern and a map of New Zealand. It also contains the same bird featured on the left-hand side of the note.
• The colour of the bird changes when the note is tilted, with a rolling bar going diagonally across.
• Check the note’s serial number. Each note has an individual serial number printed horizontally and vertically and these numbers match exactly.
• All images on the note should look sharp – not fuzzy and washed out.
• Polymer notes should be hard to tear. Most counterfeits are made of paper.