Counterfeit money!

jmcwobbles

I just discovered a fake €20 in my wallet! All my money was crumpled up in my wallet and I was organising it and noticed the paper felt a lot smoother than other notes and had a closer look and sure enough it's fake. There are a couple of €20s in my wallet so I'm not too sure where this one even came from, I think it might have been in the pub last night but it's a pretty good fake so could have easily gone unnoticed.

Question is, what do I do now?? If I bring it to the bank or the gardai will I get a real €20 back?? Probably not... so doing the right thing means I'm down €20 :mad:

jor el

You should bring it to your bank, but since you don't know where you got it, they can't really do anything. No, nobody will replace it with a real one either.

Try to pass it off yourself, and you run the risk of being caught, which could land you in serious trouble. Knowingly trying to spend a fake 20 would be a pretty sh*tty thing to do too.

jmcwobbles

"Knowingly" being the operative term - I wish I hadn't noticed it!! I don't think I could bring myself to try to pass it on - aside from the fact that it would indeed be a sh*tty thing to do, I've never being good at lying or being bold in general so they'd see me coming a mile off with my guilty sweats and shaking... I'm not exactly flush at the moment though so this bloody sucks... fecking ba$tards spreading these things around!!

EastWallGirl

Will it work in a vending machine or ticket machine at a carpark?

Scotch Hall at Drogheda in particular are thieves, I cannot think of a car park that deserves it more.

jmcwobbles

I wonder would there be any point bringing it back to the pub I got it in? I'm almost certain that's where I got it, the other €20s in my wallet came from an ATM and I'm assuming fake ones wouldn't go through an ATM? But sure I guess I've no proof from their POV so they'd prolly just tell me to feck off...

KTRIC

I got a dodgy one in a well known Dublin pub one busy night. Spotted it straight away.

I used it to buy the next round of drinks. They didn't spot it the first time and they didn't spot it the second time.

Nody

jmcwobbles wrote: »

I wonder would there be any point bringing it back to the pub I got it in? I'm almost certain that's where I got it, the other €20s in my wallet came from an ATM and I'm assuming fake ones wouldn't go through an ATM? But sure I guess I've no proof from their POV so they'd prolly just tell me to feck off...

Do you honestly think the pub will go, oh, we gave you a fake 20, here's a real one?

jmcwobbles

EastWallGirl wrote: »

Will it work in a vending machine or ticket machine at a carpark?

Scotch Hall at Drogheda in particular are thieves, I cannot think of a car park that deserves it more.

I doubt it would even work in a vending machine, sure it's hard enough to get real notes into them sometimes!

Nody wrote: »

Do you honestly think the pub will go, oh, we gave you a fake 20, here's a real one?

Yeah fair point. It just sucks - I'll say again, I wish I hadn't noticed it!!

darc

The best way to check for a fake is to put it between your thumb & index finger to the right side of the european flag and rub gently. If you can feel the braille mark its real, if not its probably fake.

Whilst technically you need to hand it in, if you know it came from a certain establishment, then your conscience would be relatively clear if you used it there yourself.

jor el

jmcwobbles wrote: »

I wonder would there be any point bringing it back to the pub I got it in? I'm almost certain that's where I got it, the other €20s in my wallet came from an ATM and I'm assuming fake ones wouldn't go through an ATM? But sure I guess I've no proof from their POV so they'd prolly just tell me to feck off...

You might want to let the pub manager know that someone was passing off forgeries in their pub, but having not brought attention to it when you received the change means they have no way of knowing you're telling the truth, and no cause to replace it.

You're pretty much out of pocket, I'm afraid.

Mr E

Bit of a balls, but it could have been worse. It could have been a 50 or 100 note instead.

I'd report it to the pub too (if you're sure thats where you got it). They should be more vigilant about that kind of thing.

calex71

+1 for telling the pub manager about it, no chance of getting a real one id say, and i dont say tell him to protect him , but if they are more vigilant then it will stop other punters getting duds also.

alexmcred

Are you sure it wasn't just washed? have seen real 20's and 50's that have shrunk in the wash. The best way to check is see if you can tear through the foil strip in it. If you can't or there is one there it's most likely not a fake.

tony1kenobi

Glue it to the pavement outside your house, video people trying to pick it up, then post the videos up here for all to enjoy. If they are funny enough we'll have a whip round for you.

delllat

EastWallGirl wrote: »

Will it work in a vending machine or ticket machine at a carpark?

Scotch Hall at Drogheda in particular are thieves, I cannot think of a car park that deserves it more.

yeah,because nobody owns vending machines so its not stealing if you use it there.........:rolleyes:

jmcwobbles

I tried the suggestions for double checking it, I can't feel the braille on either of the 20s I have (but both notes are a bit old and battered), and I am able to rip through the foil strip on both of them (so now I've technically defaced a proper one too ) so no joy there. But measured them against each other and the fake is slightly longer than the real one, and the watermark is visible even out of the light.

Just discovered this site actually and the serial number is invalid so there's my proof! http://en.eurobilltracker.com/

darc wrote: »

Whilst technically you need to hand it in, if you know it came from a certain establishment, then your conscience would be relatively clear if you used it there yourself.

Hmmm yeah I am around the area tomorrow and it's tempting to just pass it back and let them deal with it, it's their fault anyway!

tony1kenobi wrote: »

Glue it to the pavement outside your house, video people trying to pick it up, then post the videos up here for all to enjoy. If they are funny enough we'll have a whip round for you.

Ha ha sounds like the best plan - deal!

NoseyMike2010

Does www.eurobilltracker.com give details away. I find this site interesting.

Shelflife

Hmmm yeah I am around the area tomorrow and it's tempting to just pass it back and let them deal with it, it's their fault anyway!

well you said you werent sure where you got it , so to pass it on to someone who you think you got it from would be unfair.

Also if youre caught passing the note , do you really fancy a day in the garda station trying to explain yourself????

pleasant Co.

You're replying to a year old post!

Yawns

Please no mroe old threads, it's late and I'm tired and stupid

91011

But if anyone does find a fake note, just bring it to your local Sinn Fein office and ask them to exchange it

whoops - it was EX-ira men involved in Europe's largest counterfeit operation.