If someone steals banknotes from, for instance, a security transport, the perpetrator of the crime should not be able to use the notes.
This is why ink cartridges are packed in with the banknotes and if the transport is attacked the cartridges discharge and colour the banknotes so that they can no longer be used as a means of payment. You should therefore refuse to accept a banknote that is discoloured.
Several different colours of ink dye are used in security devices for banknotes. The most common are red, black, blue and green and combinations of these colours. The amount of ink can vary and may even have been bleached or cleaned, which leads to different shades. Washing banknotes usually causes damage to the foil strip.
Discolouration can occur on any part of the banknote but is often found along the edges. The notes sometimes have only small specks of colour. There have also been cases of painting over the ink with, for instance, Tippex.
Burnt sections or edges can be evidence of crime. You should pay extra attention when parts of a banknote have been cut or torn off. This could indicate an attempt to remove ink stains from the banknote in order to try to redeem the note. If there are suspicions that ink stains have been removed, the Riksbank may refuse to redeem the banknote.
Some examples of discoloured notes are shown below
What do I do if I have received a discoloured banknote?
If you have accepted by mistake a discoloured banknote or one that has a strange appearance, you should hand it in to your bank or to Svensk Kassaservice. At the bank you will be asked to provide proof of your identity and explain how you came by the banknote or how it became discoloured. If the banknote has not been discoloured by security ink dye, the bank can replace it. However, if there are suspicions that it is discoloured by security ink dye, an explanation must be provided on a special form that the bank will provide. You can also download the form at the bottom of this page.You will receive a receipt for the note from the bank. The bank will then send the note, together with the explanation to Sveriges Riksbank, Box 170, SE-432 22 Mölndal
The Riksbank will then decide whether you should receive compensation for the note. If the note is redeemed, the money will be paid into the account you have stated. If the Riksbank considers you should have noticed that the banknote was discoloured, or tampered with in some other way to conceal ink dye, no compensation will be paid.
The main rules are quite simple:
- Refuse to accept banknotes that are discoloured, burnt or washed, or in some other way appear to have been tampered with.
- Refer persons/customers with such banknotes to the banks.
- If you have accepted a suspicious note by mistake, take it to your bank.
- If you have been negligent, that is to say, you should have noticed that the banknote was discoloured, burnt or washed, you will forfeit the value of the note.
Please note that this applies to banknotes discoloured by the ink dyes used as security protection. Banknotes that have been discoloured by accident in a washing machine or by coffee, wine or similar substances may be redeemed through the banks as usual without any need to send them separately to the Riksbank for assessment.