Warning
Introduction
This page contains information on improper, misleading, and fraudulent practices involving polymer bank notes, including information on counterfeited and doctored/tampered bank notes. Some of the information on this page is also available on other (country) pages.
If you are aware of any such practices or have knowledge about or possession of counterfeited polymer bank notes, please report this to us. Making such information public prevents frauds and keeps the hobby safe.
Fraudulent individuals
Danny Au-Yeung, Australia
& Keat Shee, Australia
Contact information: dannyayc@hotmail.com; g 06/1 Bouerie Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3053, Australia.
Approximate amount of theft: USD300.00. See more information regarding this individual.
Chatham Islands Dollars
These items have been produced by a private company and are sometimes claimed to be legal tender bank notes, which they are not. They have no numismatic value; their only value is as a nicely printed piece of plastic (similar to small plastic "bank notes" that some people carry on their key rings). Read more here. It is important to stress that these items can have a value as collectible items. Simply selling them cannot be considered an improper practice—while advertising or representing them as legal tender bank notes can.
Counterfeited Indonesian specimen bank notes
Genuine
Indonesian specimen
notes have zero serial numbers. There
are counterfeited 
'specimen' notes on the market that are handstamped 'SPECIMEN TIDAK
BERLAKU' in red ink. These notes have regular (circulating) serial
numbers and are worthless (save the face value).
Counterfeited error bank notes
A word of caution on error bank notes: several so called "error" bank notes have been produced by fraudulent individuals from what has originally been a perfectly manufactured bank note. When dealing with error bank notes, it is very useful if you are familiar with the production process of (polymer) bank notes.
Miscut notes
Before you buy a miscut note, make sure that it does not come from what has originally been an uncut sheet (some countries release uncut sheets of notes for sale to collectors). There are people who find it profitable to cut an uncut sheet into single notes with an extra portion of polymer attached or to cut an uncut sheet in some other unnatural way, and to then sell the notes to the collectors, pretending the notes to be errors. A good way to avoid being cheated is by checking whether a particular bank note has been issued in an uncut form (you can tell that by looking at the serial number, since serial numbers of uncut sheets of notes are usually published).
Notes with a portion of design (serial number, etc.) missing
|
|
It is possible to remove ink (intaglio ink, offset ink, and, in some cases, serial numbering ink) from a portion of or from a complete polymer bank note, using certain chemical agents. This is achieved more easily on polymer bank notes than it is on paper (cotton) bank notes, simply because polymer substrate is more durable—the same procedure that removes the ink from a polymer bank note not only removes the ink from a paper bank note, but seriously damages or destroys the paper substrate itself.
Three notes from Thailand are shown at left. The top note has the ink removed completely from the front and you can see only the back of the note through the clear substrate. The middle note is undamaged (for comparison). The bottom note has the ink removed completely from the front and most of the ink removed from the centre area of the back of the note as well.
More examples from
|
Stolen bank notes
The following polymer bank notes have been stolen:
Australia $5 Fraser-Evans w/ red serials AA 94 000 665 (stolen in transit in 2004)
Australia $10 Fraser-Evans AA 94 005 520 (stolen in transit in 2004)
