The NCA has provided up-to-date advice to keep retail businesses a step ahead of counterfeiters.
*This resource is based on the most up-to-date advice from January 2025.
Counterfeit Scottish banknotes remain an issue, particularly for £20 and £50 polymer notes.
To help effectively prevent fraud, retailers have been asked by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to be aware of the most current information as to how to identify fake Scottish banknotes.
Below are the key recommendations from the NCA on how to tell if one of these banknotes is counterfeit. For full guidance, including detailed letters and visual document highlighting the notes’ security features, click the links below.
Main targets: Clydesdale, Bank of Scotland, and Royal Bank of Scotland polymer £20 notes, mainly in England.
- Key security checks:
- Colour-changing ink – Genuine Bank of Scotland notes feature ink that changes from purple to gold when tilted.
- Holographic foil strip – Some counterfeits attempt to mimic holograms, but in genuine Clydesdale £20 notes, the spider moves across the foil, and clouds shift left to right.
- Raised print – The bank’s name should feel textured.
- Material check – Genuine polymer notes should feel plastic-like, unlike paper copies.
Main targets: Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland polymer £50 notes.
- Key security checks:
- Colour-changing ink – The genuine Bank of Scotland £50 note has a '50' that changes from purple to gold. Counterfeits do not.
- Holographic foil strip – On fake Royal Bank of Scotland £50 notes, the top half of the hologram is gold and does not change to silver when tilted. Genuine notes have an entirely silver hologram.
- UV security features – Under UV light, genuine £50 notes show:
- Bank of Scotland: Orange and green thistles on both sides.
- Royal Bank of Scotland: Orange and yellow osprey birds on the reverse.
- Warning: Counterfeits may feature a "£" or "£50" under UV, which is not present on genuine notes.
How to report a counterfeit note
Counterfeiting is a crime. Any suspect notes should be handed to the police along with relevant evidence. If you identify a counterfeit note, notify local police and provide any supporting evidence, such as CCTV footage.
Stay Informed
For full details on identifying counterfeit notes, including security features and hologram checks, download the official retailer guidance below.
Official NCA Guidance
See the full guidance below for all the relevant, up-to-date information on counterfeit £20 and £50 Scottish banknotes.
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