– Several days ago, police officers from the Prochowice Police Station received information that counterfeit 100-zloty banknotes had appeared in the town – reports Commissioner Jagoda Ekiert, press officer for the Legnica Municipal Police Headquarters.
She adds: – Police officers from Prochowice and Legnica worked meticulously to solve the case. Their intensive work quickly led them to two people engaged in this practice.
The officers’ findings indicated that the suspected man deliberately misled staff at one of the petrol stations. Under the pretext of exchanging money, he handed an employee a counterfeit 100-zloty banknote. The spokeswoman says: – Several days later, he went to the station again and wanted to pay for goods with a counterfeit. An alert employee detected that the banknote was not genuine. The man then became aggressive and threatened to kill the employee if he did not return the counterfeit banknote, after which he left.
The officers later determined that a 34-year-old woman was also involved in putting the counterfeits into circulation.
All the findings gathered led the police to arrest two Prochowice residents, aged 25 and 34, and to seize several counterfeit banknotes.
Commissioner J. Ekiert adds:
The evidence gathered made it possible to charge the man and woman with several counts of putting counterfeit means of payment into circulation.
Both face up to 10 years in prison. The prosecutor placed the suspects under police supervision.
Police:
We appeal to everyone – especially shop assistants and other sellers – to check banknotes they receive carefully, preferably using UV testers. If a suspicious banknote is discovered, please notify the Police immediately. Promptly passing on the information may help identify and arrest criminals putting counterfeit means of payment into circulation.
We remind you of the basic features distinguishing counterfeits from genuine banknotes:
- no watermarks;
- no security features visible under UV light;
- no security features made with metallic and optically variable ink;
- no security features made using a special printing technique that can be felt by touch. (These elements are “raised” and can be characteristically felt by moving a finger or fingernail over them).