Alan Townsend, chairman of Banknote Watch, said: “Each year in the UK, hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash is stolen and stained during robberies due to the use of cash degradation systems that serve to indelibly mark the cash. If this stained cash then goes into circulation, criminals are being allowed to profit from the proceeds of crime and are encouraged to steal again.
“To help prevent this cycle of crime, businesses are advised not to accept stained banknotes if offered them by a customer. Ask the customer to take it to a bank, building society or Post Office and obtain a form BEMN for the repayment of damaged notes. By filling in this form and going through the proper channels, providing the note is genuine, they will be reimbursed for the note they have handed in.”
Notes can be stained with various different colours depending on the system used to stain the note when it is stolen – red, purple, blue and green stains are all used cash degradation systems.
Posters showing what stained notes look like are available from Banknote Watch to educate staff.
