Brits jetting off to Turkey have been issued a fresh new warning from the UK Foreign Office after a ‘reported surge’ in counterfeit banknotes.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) highlighted in its ‘crime’ section of the safety and security pages that fake US dollar bills have been circulating in the country, leading to banks and money exchanges refusing to accept $50 and $100 notes.
Holidaymakers visiting the popular Middle Eastern destination are also warned not to accept these banknotes themselves.
In its update, FCDO said: “Banks and money exchanges may not accept $50 or $100 US dollar bills due to a reported surge in counterfeit banknotes of these denominations in Turkey. You should not accept these banknotes where possible.”
According to the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, the US dollar and the Euro are Turkey’s most frequently counterfeited foreign currencies.
The following features can identify counterfeit foreign banknotes: they are produced with paper that can be easily found on the market, and watermarks and security threads are imitated through print.
However, features revealed by UV light are “counterfeited so successfully” that they can be “highly deceptive”.
FCDO is also warning Brits to be wary of counterfeit alcohol. It states: “In a small number of cases, counterfeit bottles of branded alcohol have caused deaths of tourists.”
People with concerns are urged to ask for advice from tour operators or from the Turkish authorities.
Visitors are warned to “be wary of strangers approaching you to change money, or to take you to a restaurant or nightclub”.
FCDO warns that if strangers offer you food and drink, these could be spiked. Instead, you should buy “your own drinks and always keep sight of them.”