FAKE notes

THE European Union's bank notes are still proving tough for the counterfeiters. The latest figures from European Central Bank show that 387,000 notes were withdrawn from circulation in the first half of 2010. That's down 13 per cent on last year but up compared to 265,000 in 2007. The preferred choice of the counterfeiters are the €20 and €50 notes. The €100 notes attract more scrutiny and even the genuine ones are rarely used in this country. Keep in mind that the seized notes make up a tiny proportion of the 13 billion euro notes in circulation. If you are worried check out all the security features on the ECB website.