BRADFORDIANS are being warned by police to be vigilant when selling goods after reports of forged Scottish banknotes being used for payment in the city.

Officers have been alerted after two separate crimes are being investigated this month in Bradford where counterfeit Scottish £20 notes were used to pay for items sold via website Gumtree.

The use of counterfeit currency is rare but people selling online, and businesses, are being urged to be more cautious, according to PC Toni Hinnells, of Bradford District CID.

She said that fraudsters are aware these notes are less familiar to people in England.

She added: ““Our advice for anyone being given Scottish banknotes as payment is to take the time to properly examine the cash they are being given.

“Someone using legitimate banknotes should not have any problem with you checking the notes over. If you have any concerns at all then don’t accept the payment and report it to the police.”

The Royal Bank of Scotland advise: comparing a suspect note with a genuine one and never rely on just one feature when checking as this may be the one counterfeiters have replicated.

More information about the design and security features of Scottish banknotes can be found here: scotbanks.org.uk/banknotes.html