Wickham Charity Beer Festival affected by counterfeit cash as organiser highlights what to look out for
Festival organisers say £120 of counterfeit cash was spent at over the course of the event.
A charity beer festival has been left short-changed after visitors used counterfeit cash to buy their drinks.
On Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18, the 32nd Wickham Charity Beer Festival was held at Wickham Community Centre in Mill Lane. An annual event that has been taking place since 2008, it has raised more than £200,000 for charities since its inception.
But this year, the final total has been damaged after the event was targeted for counterfeit cash use.
Posting about the incident on Facebook, a spokesperson for the event said: “Great 32nd Beer Festival and I’ll post more on it later. However, just been to the banks and found that £120 of our takings in £20 notes were fakes.
“Although this is no hardship to me personally, it does mean our charities will be £120 down this event.
“Anyone taking £20 notes beware. Apparently the colour of the fakes are lighter and the shiny piece at the bottom says ‘twenty’ but should say ‘twenty pounds’. [The] best way is to get an ultraviolet light.”
Using counterfeit cash in the UK is illegal under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act (1981). Simply possessing counterfeit currency with the intent to use it can carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
If you end up in possession of a counterfeit note, you should report it to the police by phoning 101. The police will likely take the note as evidence. If you were in the bank when being told a note you had was counterfeit, they will send it off themselves for analysis.