Gardaí issue warning over counterfeit €50 notes in circulation

The new €50 note went into circulation in Ireland earlier this month.

Gardaí in Limerick have issued a warning to the public having been made aware of counterfeit €50 notes in circulation in Limerick city and the surrounding areas of late. The warning, issued on An Garda Síochána’s southern region Facebook page on Friday, reminded people of the need to carry out essential security checks on the notes to determine that they are genuine, including checking for the watermark, security thread, hologram patch and raised print. Gardaí included a step by step guide to determine if the notes are genuine or not, all of which only takes a matter of seconds and can prevent fraudsters from passing off their fakes as the real thing. Pics via Facebook/Garda Síochána - Cork, Kerry & Limerick - Southern Region The new €50 note was introduced in the EU by the European Central Bank on April 4, the fourth denomination in the second series of euro banknotes, known as the Europa series, following the €5, €10 and €20 notes. Last year the Central Bank identified approximately 307,000 counterfeit €50 notes, but they say that the total number of counterfeit notes in 2016 represented less than .0001% of all notes.