Since the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) released the redesigned naira notes in the denominations of N200, N500 and N1,000, fake notes of the new N1,000 notes have been reported to be circulating in the economy.
The CBN has said, though, that the banknotes have some security features that make it easy to tell if they are real.
The truth is, anybody can be a victim if you don’t know the differences between a real Naira note and its counterfeit.
Identifying these differences does not require a university degree, you only need to conduct a simple test when you doubt the quality of a Naira note.
Carrying out these five simple tips on a Naira note will help you to differentiate a fake Naira from a genuine one.
1. Check the texture
If the texture of the money is soft, so soft that it gives you a concern, and the image in it looks dull, you can reject it and ask for another Naira note from whoever gives it to you.
2. Use water or other liquid
Conmen produce fake money. And the colours they use in printing counterfeits are soluble in water and some other liquids.
If you have a doubt about a note, immerse it in water or petrol and scrub it gently. If it’s a fake money, its colours will wash off like an artwork painted with watercolour.
Again, once you immerse it in water, the paper becomes messed. it will get rough and look more like a paper mache. However, the real note won’t look like this when immersed in water or any liquid.
3. Check the gold foil
The N1000 note has a gold foil on the right side, just beside the CBN governor’s signature. If you scratch the gold foil of a fake note it will peel off while that of original note doesn’t peel.
4. Check the ribbon/thread
There is a thread which looks like a ribbon on all Naira notes, running from the top to the bottom.
In real notes, this thread can be felt. It is more noticeable on old Naira notes. However, in fake notes, there’s something that looks like the thread but it’s not.
What is there is just straight line painting that looks the thread in original notes. If you scratch the painting, it’ll peel off like the solver panel on recharge cards.
5. Use mercury bulbs
Some features of the paper Naira notes cannot be seen with naked eyes. These features are only in original Naira notes, and one cannot see them except with the help of mercury bulbs.
For instance, if a real N1000 note is placed under the rays from a mercury bulb, it’ll show a glowing 1000 (in numbers) written across the note. The same applies to smaller denominations.
