Bank apologises after issuing fake bank notes to a customer

Croydon, England:  A policeman has blasted HSBC after getting Sh22,000 in fake notes from his branch.

Det Con Dominic Doyle, 37, was “humiliated” after a relative tried to use them.

He and his wife Lucy, who withdrew thousands of pounds from their life savings at HSBC, say they were "humiliated" because they unwittingly gave some of the money to relatives.

The couple, from East Grinstead, took out the cash from their local HSBC branch.

They planned to use some to begin work on their home and give more of it to their young nephews.

It wasn't until Lucy's sister tried to use some of the money that she was told the notes were phoney.

Lucy, 33, a nutritionist, said: "My sister called me crying and distressed saying that she had used a couple of notes to pay a bill in the Metro Bank and they called out that it was fraudulent in front of everybody.

"As soon as we realised what happened we took the money to the branch in Croydon where my sister lives.

"The assistant said it was unlikely any of it was counterfeit and that the notes were probably just damaged."

Detective Dominic had to excuse himself from a court case to go back to HSBC while each of the notes was counted individually.

The bank confirmed that £160 of the notes were fake and that an investigation would be launched.

But the couple say they have not been received an explanation/

The notes were changed and Mr Doyle, of East Grinstead, West Sussex, has been offered £100 compensation.

HSBC said: “We’re sorry for any inconvenience.”