The note on the left is a counterfeit note while the note on the right is genuine
Gardai in Waterford City have issued a warning over fake 50 euro notes.
Gardaí have been made aware of a number of counterfeit €50 notes being used in Waterford City in recent days and they're appealing to retailers and businesses to be extremely vigilant.
Brendan Roche is Crime Prevention Sergeant at Waterford Garda Station. He says they seem to target "take aways, licensed premises, book makers and corner shops".
He says the counterfeit notes have a number of features missing. Sergeant Roche told WLR News that if you hold up the note to the light, the watermark on the left-hand side on the genuine note should feature a woman's head with a halo, "on the dud you'll see that there's no halo".
He says the most obvious difference is that the fake note doesn't have the dark coloured metal strip through the centre. The green 50 that's on the bottom left hand corner of the genuine note changes colour if you tilt the note, however on the forged note it remains green with a light line through it.
Sergeant Roche says you should be able to see a clear window hologram in the metallic strip on the right hand side of the note. You should see a clear distinctive image of a woman's head and shoulders however Sergeant Roche says it's distorted and deformed in the fake note.
He added that retailers should "be wary of people trying to change large sums of money or buying gift vouchers with 50 euro notes".
