Counterfeit 10,000 ISK Notes Being Circulated

The general public, and retailers in particular, have been warned that there are counterfeit 10,000 ISK notes in circulation right now. People are advised to inspect these bills to make sure they are the real deal.

RÚV reports that one such counterfeit bill was used to pay for dinner at an area restaurant last week. In addition, Vísir reports that another counterfeit note was used to pay for petrol, leading to at least one arrest.

The 10,000 ISK bill is relatively new, and was only released three years ago. Its introduction marked the first time since 1986 – when the 5,000 ISK bill was first pressed – that a new Icelandic bill was put into circulation.

Counterfeiters typically falsify the largest denominations available. They then tend to make small purchases with the fake bill, in an attempt to get as much “real” money back for their efforts as possible, while obfuscating the origins of the bill itself.

If you receive a 10,000 ISK bill, there are a number of security measures to look out for. If you don’t have a blacklight on you at the time, you can also hold the bill up to the light and look for the hidden face of famed Icelandic poet Jónas Hallgrímsson.