|
Central
Bank Urges Vigilance While Making Cash Transactions
The
Central Bank of Barbados wishes to remind the general public to exercise
vigilance, when carrying out their cash transactions.
Although
the incidence of counterfeit currency is small, it tends to be higher at times
when events bring large numbers of persons into the island for a period of time
and there is a corresponding increase in cash transactions.
The
best approach is to be familiar with the “feel” and the security features of
genuine notes and to have a genuine note available for comparison in cases where
there is doubt.
Some
of the easily visible security features are:
Watermark
The watermark
is found on the left of banknotes and depicts the map of Barbados. It contains
light as well as shaded areas and is not a mere outline. The watermark can be
viewed when the note is held up to the light.
Security
Thread
All banknotes contain a security thread. On lower denominations, the thread
is invisible when the note is lying flat, but becomes a thin black line when the
note is held up to light. On higher denominations, the thread is partially
visible and appears to be a series of interrupted silver lines when the note is
lying flat. When the note is held up to light, the thread becomes a solid thick
black line with the text CBB$20, CBB$50 or CBB$100 depending on the
denomination.
See-through
Feature
On the left side (front view) of all banknotes, there is a see-through
feature: a partial image that corresponds to another partial image on the back
of the note. When the note is held up to light, the see-through feature forms a
complete image that is perfectly aligned. The image of the see-through feature
varies by denomination: a windmill ($2), cricket stumps and ball ($5), a dolphin
($10), a pelican ($20), the broken trident ($50), a dolphin ($100).
Intaglio
over Foil
On the right side of the $50 and $100 note there is a foil feature: an
aquamarine pelican on the $50 and a gold dolphin on the $100. Overprinted on
this foil is the Pride of Barbados flower. These images are intricately detailed
and highly reflective, but on counterfeit notes they lack the level of detail
and appear flat and dull.
Counterfeits,
which come into the possession of the public, should be handed over to the
Police Department, giving the details under which they were received.
March 12, 2007
|