FAKE cash notes are again doing the rounds in the Drakenstein area.
Last week Paarl East police arrested four men in possession of almost R16 000 worth of counterfeit R100 notes.
The arrests came after police received information about the illegal money, which led them to a house in Lantana Street. Amongst the counterfeit money were cellphones, as well as a toy gun.
LucasSteenveld(23), Randall Johnson (23), Hannes Fransman (23) and Ernest Rossouw (30) were arrested.
Police have warned the public to be on the look-out for these notes when receiving cash, as once you are in possession of counterfeit money, it will have no value to you.
These forgeries look very much like the real thing, but once investigated closely, tell-tale signs are visible. Although the forged note is exactly the same size as the real thing, the texture of the paper is harder than the original note.
On closer examination of a real note, one will be able to see a very fine print of ‘SARB’ on the silver line and then the amount of the note, such as 20 or 50 printed on it.
The fake notes do not have this fine print and the colour of the line is more grey than silver.
Another factor to look out for is the watermark of the animal on the real note, which will not be seen when the fake note is held to the light.
Notes which have been stained with a purple dye must also be avoided.
Anyone with information on counterfeit money or any other crime, can contact insp Anthony Sauls on 021-877-5240. All information will be treated confidentially.