IRISH BUSINESSES have been warned to keep a sharp eye on all notes used by their customers.
Extremely convincing fake €10 and €20 notes have been spotted everywhere in Ireland from Cork to Dublin and have caught out the public and business owners alike.
Almost indistinguishable from legal tender, the fake notes are actually movie props—and can only be identified by looking closely at the writing on the side.
Gardaí in #Mitchelstown are warning the business community to be on alert for fake bank notes. These €10 & €20 notes are marked "Movie Money" but easy to miss.
They were in circulation in the town today #INDIE19 pic.twitter.com/PC9p5qlxRi— JP McNamara (@JP_Cork) July 29, 2019
An Garda Síochána reported the movie props weeks ago but businesses continue to be duped as the notes spread further around the country.
The newest business to draw attention to the 'movie money' was North Dublin pub The Halfway House & Mulberry Restaurant, who announced they had been hit with the scam via Facebook on Wednesday, August 7.
The Ashtown establishment warned that “Trying to pass this on as money is an offence”.
“A warning to all, be careful and check your notes.”
WARNING ⚠️
We got caught out today with this €20 note. The note with the pen is in fact a movie prop and is not legal...Posted by The Halfway House on Wednesday, August 7, 2019
It has led to speculation about which Irish film the notes could have come from.
Irish film and TV has been taking off like a rocket in recent years, with popular shows such as The Young Offenders filming in the country.
It seems the notes were first spotted in County Cork, where The Young Offenders is set, so it could be that the popular show is the… er… offender.
