Five shops in a Welsh town centre were reportedly approached with fake £50 Scottish notes which passed counterfeit money detectors. A sharply-dressed man is alleged to have succeeded in using the notes at New Look clothes store, Pandora jewellers and Shuzz shoe shop on Tuesday in Merthyr Tydfil.
The man allegedly also tried to buy items with the notes at The Works stationery shop and Trespass outdoor clothing store. He is said to have been accompanied by a more casually-dressed man in some of the incidents. The fake notes were able to evade detection by UV scanners, said Elizabeth Bedford from Merthyr's Business Improvement District (BID). Police have identified two suspects from CCTV.
Mark Day, who manages The Works on New Market Walk, was not in the store at 12.30pm when one of the notes was presented but staff gave him their account of what happened. He told WalesOnline: "Two chaps came in. The well-dressed one went to the till and tried to do the transaction. The other stayed near the door and was a bit of a scruff bag by all accounts.
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"The guy at the till was in his mid-30s to early-40s. He tried to use a Scottish £50 note to buy a few toys that came to no more than £10 in total. The highest-priced item he had was about £3.
"One of my staff refused the £50 because we don't take them, due to our high volume of low-priced stock. Before he left the guy got a little bit agitated and argumentative with the staff member, saying she had to take it because it's 'British tender.'"
Ashleigh Grzesica, who works at New Look on Graham Way, said a fake £50 note was accepted. "A man came in at about 1.25pm wearing a Burberry scarf, blazer jacket and nice trousers," she said. "I remember noticing how well-dressed he was. He had a Pandora bag with him, he was very polite and had an English accent. He used a Scottish £50 note to buy a £10.59 women's scarf."
Ms Bedford from BID said fake notes were also handed over at Shuzz and Pandora. In the case of Pandora two £50 notes were used after going through UV checks and the items bought were later returned at the Abergavenny branch for cash. Both men allegedly involved were wearing dark clothes although one was dressed more smartly than the other, Ms Bedford added.
An employee of Trespass on Graham Way said her manager dealt with an attempt to use a Scottish £50 note. "We didn't accept it in the end," she said. "My manager said we don't accept Scottish notes in here anyway."
Mr Day added that St Tydfil Square's security staff later informed shops that the two suspects were seen at about 12pm sitting on benches outside Greggs bakery. They had appeared to be "casing the area", he said.
A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: "Officers are investigating reports of the circulation of fake bank notes in local shops in Merthyr town centre area. Two suspects have been identified on CCTV and enquiries are ongoing to trace them."
Local policing Inspector Jon Duckham added: "Local businesses need to be vigilant and look out for fake notes. No business wants to be a victim of fraud, especially at this time of year. If you suspect a fake note, please report incidents via Report a crime | South Wales Police (south-wales.police.uk) or by calling 101."
The Bank of England has a guide on how to check £50 notes are legitimate which you can see here. Anyone with information about the use of fake money in Merthyr can call police on 101 and quote reference number 2200410230 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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