The warning came after Raheny Garda Station seized a large number of the counterfeit coins.
During a number of searches undertaken at the end of last month, Gardaí seized €2920 worth of €2 coins which were examined and confirmed to be fake. One person was charged and brought before the courts, and assets with a value of €73,986 have been frozen in bank accounts, according to RTÉ.
Advice for the public on how to identify counterfeit currency is available via the Central Bank
WEBSITE.
Advice includes close visual inspection of the suspected fake coin, possibly with a magnifying glass, and the "hardness test" (bending the coin, as counterfeits may bend).
Central Bank also advise looking out for:
- Poor quality image detail.
- Different colour ring and/or core.
- Edge lettering missing, incorrect spelling or font (using similar country coin).
- Different sizes.
- Thickness, diameter.
- Different sized ring or core.
- Different weight.
Genuine €2 and €1 coins are also slightly magnetic - you can test suspect coins by lifting the coin up, but with the weight of the coin and the slight magnetism you should be able to shake the coin off the magnet with ease. The website advises that "most counterfeit €2 and €1 coins are either very magnetic, non-magnetic, or just the ring is magnetic due to the materials used".
https://twitter.com/gardainfo/status/1554847810926923782?s=20&t=KC-AQaxmq6nadT0CJyLoDA
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Superintendent Caitríona Gunn has said that a missing fada on the word 'Éire' is an indication of a fake coin.
Ms Gunn said of the coins from the seizure:
They're excellent quality, but on the Irish ones, on the ‘Éire’, there should be fada on the 'e' and also the majority of the coins emanate from the year 2007.
Anyone who comes across one of the fake coins is advised to bring it into their nearest Garda station, to the Central Bank or any financial institution.
Header image via Twitter/gardainfo
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