Friday, February 01, 2008

The Bank of the Netherlands Antilles Warns About Fraudulent Bank Notes

With upcoming festivities such as Karnival, as well as other events, the Bank of the Netherlands Antilles warns the public about the possibility of the circulation of false banknotes. 

Although the extent of counterfeiting is not substantial at the moment, the bank is nevertheless warning of the possibility. The bank said it had experienced a problem last year at this time, where perpetrators were removing the gold foil found on 10 guilder notes and pasting it on false 100 guilder notes they produced, which caused the fraudulent note to appear authentic.

The bank advises paying attention to the authenticity characteristics on any notes you may receive, and when in doubt, visit the bank’s web site by clicking here for more information on how to identify fraudulent notes and also confirm authentic bank notes. 

The bank does give much emphasis on the fact that it does not accept false bank notes and does not exchange bank notes that have been manipulated. It advises that when one encounters a falsified bank note, one should contact the police. A person who falsifies or is aware of paying with false money is subject to a nine-year prison sentence.  (Source:  The Daily Herald St. Maarten)