Warning Counterfeits

Barbadians are being encouraged to exercise vigilance when carrying out cash transactions during Crop Over and the upcoming back to school shopping period.
“Although the incidence of counterfeiting in Barbados is small, it does increase during periods of heightened commercial activity,” said Victor Springer, Deputy Governor, Operations, at the Central Bank of Barbados. “We’re therefore encouraging consumers to take the time to ensure the money they tender and receive is genuine.”
Springer advised that the best way for Barbadians to protect themselves from becoming victims of counterfeiting was to become familiar with the security features of genuine banknotes.
Among these easily recognizable features are:

Watermarks
All banknotes contain the watermarked image of the map of the island. This watermark contains light as well as shaded areas and is not a mere outline. For banknotes issued after August 2007 there is a second, brighter watermark to the right of the map: on the $2, $5, and $10, the image is of the broken trident, while on the $20 and $50, the image is of the Pride of Barbados flower. The $100 note currently has no second image.
Security Thread
All banknotes issued since August 2007 contain a partially visible security thread that becomes solid when the note is held up to light. On the $2, $5 and $10, the thread is wavelike and highly reflective, with “CBB” and the denomination printed on it. On the $20 and $50, the thread is wider and less reflective, with the “CBB” and the denomination printed on it. The $100 and older $20 and $50 notes have a thin, highly reflective thread with “CBB” and the denomination printed on it.

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 on 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. These images are intricately detailed and highly reflective, but on counterfeit notes they generally lack the level of detail and appear flat and dull.
For more information on the features of Barbadian banknotes visit the Central Bank of Barbados website at www.centralbank.org.bb
 

July 30, 2008