The Guardia Civil has reissued an alert to check your change, after an increase in the number of coins that look like the 2-euro piece being passed in Spain.
According to the Guardia Civil, there are people who are trying to exchange Turkish liras for two-euro coins. Both coins are very similar in appearance, but the Turkish ones are really only worth a few cents if exchanged.
As can be seen in the image provided by the Guardia Civil, the design of both is very similar. On the Turkish lira there is a one on the cross, a moon with a star and the inscription ‘Yeni Türk Lirasi’ and on the face you can see the portrait of Kemal Atatürk, the first president of the Republic of Turkey, next to the inscription ‘Turkiye Cumhuriyeti’.
This scam is not new, since these currencies have been circulating in Spain since at least 2005. In addition, it also occurs with other international currencies such as bolivars, Jamaican dollars or Polish zlotys.
Some victims have indicated that they only realised the deception when they went to buy in a vending machine and did not accept the currency.
So, the most important thing is to always check your change, as these coins can be passed quite easily, and often without intention.
