The Barbados Central Bank indicates that twenty dollar notes pictured on social media appear to be genuine and may have been damaged rather than being counterfeit.

The Bank issued a statement this afternoon in response to concern raised by consumers and business people one of whom contacted Starcom Network News after his staff drew attention to the notes and some customers refused to accept them.

Businessman, David Bynoe, said it appears that a significant quantity of the notes are in circulation.

Meantime, the Central Bank says it is aware of images and videos circulating on social media purporting to show a counterfeit polymer Barbadian banknote.

It points out that some of the security features found on genuine Barbadian polymer notes, such as the transparent window, are visible in the images.

Therefore, rather than being a counterfeit, the note appears to have been damaged, resulting in the holographic image of the Parliament Buildings, usually found on the 20 dollar denomination, no longer being present.

The Bank says that to date it has received no fake notes from the 2022 polymer banknote series, but reminds the public that the notes are not impossible to counterfeit. It therefore encourages people to continue to check their money using the security features incorporated in them which, in addition to the hologram, include a transparent window near the bottom of the note, the note’s denomination appearing in the patterned broken trident on the top right of the note when it is held up to the light, a raised shape at the back of the note beneath the large denomination numeral and elements of the note that are fluorescent under UV light.

But Mr. Bynoe tells Starcom Network News that even if the notes aren’t counterfeit the fact that one of the security features could be erased is worrisome.

Businessman David Bynoe.