Offaly coffee shop not accepting €50 notes amid fake money warning

One Offaly coffee shop has stopped accepting €50 notes amid a warning over counterfeit notes.

Costa Coffee in Edenderry displayed a sign in their café last week advising customers that they are not currently taking €50 notes as payment.

The notice read: "Due to the number of forgeries in circulation, we no longer accept €50 notes."

It's understood a number of businesses in the town have been caught out by fake €50 notes recently, prompting the local warning and reaction. 

The Central Bank has issued advice on how to spot fake notes if you come into contact with them.

They say: "There are many security features incorporated into euro banknotes that make them difficult to recreate. Many of these features can be checked manually using the Feel-Look-Tilt test."

Feel

The paper is crisp and firm

The paper will have raised ink areas on the front of the note.

Look

Hold the note up to a light and:

Hold the note up to the light and look for watermarks (see-through areas of the note):

Architectural design similar to the main design of the note.

A number watermark underneath.

Barcode watermark in the centre (Euro Series 1 notes only).

Europa portrait (Euro Series 2 notes only).

Security thread down the centre of the note with perforations of denomination.

Perforations in the holographic foil showing the denomination, euro symbol and Europa portrait (Euro Series 2 notes only).
See through number at the top left of the note (Euro Series 1 notes only).

Tilt

The holographic stripe or patch will change images and colours.

The iridescent stripe on the back of the lower denominations will shine and fade (Euro Series 1 notes only).

The opti-variable ink covering the numeral on the back of the higher denominations will change colour (Euro Series 1 notes only).

The emerald number in the bottom left corner on the banknote’s front side displays an effect of the light that moves up and down. The number also changes colour from emerald green to deep blue (Euro Series 2 notes only).