Viewpoint: Do you know what to do with a stained banknote?
In an EAST website research poll that ran from January to April 2016 67% of respondents stated that they do know what to do with a stained banknote, 6% don’t and 27% are not sure.
On this website EAST provides guidance as to what action you should take if a stained banknote is offered to you or comes into your possession. The action required varies from country to country, as does the legal status of a stained banknote. The poll results can be seen in the chart below.
To deter crime, money dispensed by ATMs is increasingly protected by Intelligent Banknote Neutralisation Systems (IBNS). These systems activate in the event of a robbery or theft, and stain the banknotes (typically red, a purple variant or green). Stained banknotes are removed from circulation by National Central Banks, but retailers and members of the general public should be aware that if they receive a stained banknote, it is almost certainly a stolen banknote, and should not be accepted.
The current website research poll, which closes at the end of August, is on payment security when using mobile phones to pay for goods and services and asks the question – ‘Are you satisfied your payment details are safe when buying goods or services using your mobile phone?’ To take it, and to see all past results, visit the ATM Research Page on this website, or click on the button below.