Do you receive cash payments? Here are 5 simple tips to help spot fake naira notes so you don’t get scammed.
Several people have fallen victim of counterfeit money because of their inability to identify the counterfeit of their national currency.
The truth is, anyone can be a victim if you don’t know the clear distinction between a real naira note and it’s counterfeit.
These differences are not hidden; it is possible to spot out fake notes by merely looking at the characteristics of the currency like the ink, colour, text.
Check the texture
This is the first thing to do when you are concerned about the notes. Check to see if the texture of the notes are often too soft or the image is blurry or dull.
If you significantly notice blurry borders, print, or text, such notes are not genuine.
Check the gold foil
The NGN1000 notes come with a gold foil on the right side, beside the CBN governor’s signature.
If you scratch the gold foil on the fake note, it will peel off, but that of the genuine note doesn’t peel off.
Get Water/ Liquids
One of the easiest ways to identify fake naira notes is by wetting your hands with water and using that same hand to fold the money or scrub it gently.
If the colour of money starts washing off, then it means the money is fake.
Also, You can dip the money in water for 20 seconds. If the money is not authentic, you will notice the colour of the notes will start washing. Genuine currency does not wash.
Use Mercury Bulbs
Some features of the naira notes can’t be seen with ordinary eyes, except the mercury bulbs.
If you place an authentic NGN1000 notes under the rays of the mercury bulb, it will show a glittering 1000(in numbers) written in numbers, across the notes. The same applies to smaller denominations.
But if you place a fake naira note under the mercury light, everything on the note will be upside down.
Through the ribbon/thread
Every naira note comes with a thread/ribbon, running from the tip to the bottom of the currency.
In real naira notes, this thread can be felt and more noticeable on the old naira notes.
On the other hand, the fake naira comes with a straight line painting, a replica of the thread in the original notes.
When you scratch the painting, it peels off like the silver panel on recharge cards.
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