Watch out for fake HK$50 notes, Bank of China Hong Kong warns public

The Bank of China (Hong Kong) has alerted the public about the recent discovery of fake HK$50 notes, as well as made a police report about the counterfeit cash.

A bank spokesman said on Monday that anyone doubtful about the authenticity of bills on hand could approach the bank or turn them over to police.

These remarks came after a photo of two HK$50 notes carrying the same serial number, CN485659, and issued on January 1, 2009 was circulated online.

Video Explainer: What's the difference between a real note and a fake?

A purported internal notice from an unknown business unit that said it had learned about the fake notes from the bank was also being circulated online. The notice reminded staff not to accept HK$50 notes from BOCHK carrying a serial number ending with 659.

Police said on Monday they had received a report from the bank about the fake HK$50 notes, adding that 22 fake HK$50 notes had been discovered in the first three months of this year. There were 132 such notes last year, 251 in 2014 and 639 in 2013.

Most of the counterfeit notes found previously were made with inkjet printers outside the city, with others made locally using home-style printers. They were of general to poor quality and easily distinguished by members of the public.

Can you tell the difference between a real note and a fake?

The banknotes in question – the BOCHK 2003 serial HK$50 notes – have four security features, according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority website.

1) Below the BOCHK logo, there is a fluorescent machine-readable barcode.

2) Tilting the note under a bright light should reveal iridescent bauhinia flowers next to the Bank of China Tower image

3) The colour of the denomination numeral at the right corner shifts between gold and green when viewed at different angles. This is due to the special optical variable ink used.

4) The back of the note features a 4mm-wide security thread woven in the paper with holographic images