Central Bank issues note on suspected counterfeit currency

The Central Bank of Barbados is advising residents to use the security features in the new polymer banknotes in the wake of images and video on social media purporting to show counterfeit currency. The Bank says it can’t confirm whether the bills are genuine or not without having seen them, but they appear to have “come into contact with a harsh chemical that removed some of the ink”. Anyone with a note which they suspect could be counterfeit should take it to a commercial bank or to the Central Bank. The statement follows below: The Central Bank of Barbados is aware of images and videos circulating on social media over the past few weeks purporting to show counterfeit polymer Barbadian banknotes. While the Bank will not confirm the authenticity of any banknote without first having examined it in person, some of the security features found on genuine Barbadian polymer notes, such as the transparent window, are visible in the images. Rather, the notes appear to have to come into contact with a harsh chemical that removed some of the ink. The Bank confirms that to date it has received no fake notes from the 2022 polymer banknote series, but reminds the public that the notes are not impossible to counterfeit. It therefore encourages people to continue to check their money using the security features incorporated in them. These features include:

• A transparent window near the bottom of the note
• An image embedded in the window that catches the light on lower denominations (the $2, $5, and $10) and changes colour on higher denominations (the $20, $50, and $100)
• The note’s denomination appearing in the patterned broken trident on the top right of the note when it is held up to the light
• A raised shape at the back of the note beneath the large denomination numeral. The shape varies depending on the denomination

The Bank also encourages anyone with a note they suspect to be counterfeit to take it to a commercial bank or to the Central Bank of Barbados. (PR/SAT)