Small retailers in Illawarra battle surge of high-quality counterfeit notes

Illawarra retailers are confronting a wave of high-quality counterfeit banknotes, with several owners describing recent incidents involving $100 and $20 bills. Calvin Gorsuch, whose store Ohana Home uses a blue-light scanner at the checkout, rejected a fake $100 note after his employee identified it. Neighboring shopkeeper Adrian Erdedi reported a similar case and posted about it on a local Facebook group, receiving numerous reports of comparable fakes.

The Australian Border Force disclosed a dramatic rise in counterfeit cash seizures, highlighting a notable improvement in the realism of the notes. Authorities note that producing or using counterfeit money is illegal, with penalties up to 14 years in prison, and that victims cannot be reimbursed. To mitigate losses, businesses are training staff to examine every note under blue light, which reveals invisible security markings on polymer currency issued since 2016.