Fake fifty

Report by Tristan Ovington

MANY Salisbury residents try to live honest lives, but there are times when they encounter dishonesty as individuals try to take advantage of the compassion of others,

On the 22nd June, a man came to several shops on Winchester Street and tried to buy low cost items and pay with a clearly fake 50 pound note.

On one encounter the man was politely declined as the shop owner in question did not have enough change in their till.

However, when he entered a second shop the owner accepted the illegal tender, but quickly realised he had been exploited and ran out to find the man.

The shop owner gave the fake note back to the man and received his real money in return.

The moment the shop owner was alerted to the inauthenticity of the fake tender turned out to be the most astonishing part of the experience.

The note was hand drawn with a crudely depicted attempt at a queen’s head that was said to more closely resemble Dame Judi Dench and the word ‘POUNDS’ was misspelt as ‘POONDS’.

Suffice to say, the pounds aspect quickly became an in-joke amongst the Winchester Street retail community.

We advise all shop and stall owners in Salisbury to double check notes to avoid being exploited and keep your ‘poonds’ close to your chest for security.