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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

Small businesses turn to scanners as counterfeit cash seizures soar

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Small businesses in the Illawarra region are using blue-light machines to detect counterfeit Australian banknotes after several shops received fake $100 notes.
  • The Australian Border Force recorded 700 detections of counterfeit cash entering Australia in the past financial year, involving notes valued at $6 million.
  • Authorities said the quality of counterfeit notes had improved, while the Reserve Bank warned that fake money has no value and businesses will not be reimbursed.

A blue-light machine helped a Thirroul shop identify a fake $100 note immediately when a customer tried to use it last weekend. Owner Calvin Gorsuch said the customer insisted the note was genuine, but staff refused to accept it and the person left.

So we picked up that it was fake.

· Calvin GorsuchHe described how his shop’s blue-light machine detected a counterfeit $100 note.

Gorsuch installed the system after his business, Ohana Home, received a counterfeit $50 note in December. A neighbouring business also found a suspicious $100 note later that day, prompting owner Adrian Erdedi to post about the incident on a local Facebook page. He said business owners across the Illawarra responded with reports of similar notes, including possible fake $20 bills.

The Australian Border Force detected 700 instances of counterfeit cash entering the country during the past financial year. The fake notes had a combined value of $6 million, more than 50 times the number of counterfeit currency imports detected the previous year. The agency said there had been “a concerning improvement in the quality of counterfeit notes”.

They were adamant that it was genuine, but we kept refusing it, and then they left.

· Calvin GorsuchHe recounted the customer’s response after staff rejected the suspected note.

Erdedi said the counterfeit $100 note looked realistic enough to escape notice unless staff knew what details to check. He could see the defects only after comparing it closely with a genuine note. Gorsuch, who has worked in retail for 10 years, said newer counterfeits felt more authentic because they used a polymer-like material rather than paper. He said colour appeared to be the clearest difference.

There's been a lot of people coming out saying they've had the same notes coming through.

· Adrian ErdediHe described the reaction from other Illawarra business owners after posting about the counterfeit note.

Australian law prohibits making, possessing or knowingly using counterfeit money. Producing fake banknotes carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The Reserve Bank advises businesses to report suspected counterfeits to police and warns that fake notes have no value, leaving businesses that accept them without reimbursement.

It could have easily been missed if you're not looking for these specific things on the note.

· Adrian ErdediHe explained why the counterfeit $100 note posed a risk to businesses.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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