Fake HK$500 banknotes back in circulation

Counterfeit HK$500 banknotes have once again been circulating in the market as some citizens and businesses reported receiving suspicious banknotes. 

A taxi driver shared an incident where a passenger attempted to pay a fare of HK$27 using a fake HK$500 note. 

A similar incident was reported three months ago, where a netizen uploaded photos of two counterfeit HK$500 notes with the same serial number. The color of the fake notes and the visibility of the windowed metallic thread also differed from the genuine one. 

Notably, these banknotes are described as "obviously fake" because they were poor in quality and had noticeably lighter printing colors than genuine banknotes. 

Police confirmed they have received more reports from individuals and businesses encountering counterfeit banknotes.

Officers urged the public to use six security features to identify them, including the shimmering pattern when the note is tilted, the watermark of the bauhinia flower, the fluorescent see-through denomination, the windowed metallic thread, the concealed denomination, and the embossed feel.