THIS is with reference to quite a few letters in these columns regarding fake currency being dispensed by bank ATMs. Having served in the banking profession for more than three decades as well as being a member of the public complaint committee of a commercial bank, I have never come across any such complaint from anywhere in the country.

Banks usually receive complaints about unauthorised withdrawals through ATMs and fake transactions from their accounts, which are immediately addressed and compensated if a bank’s ATM is found at fault. But a complaint related to fake currency was something not heard of.

The fact of the matter is that the sensor installed in the ATM does not eject fake currency, and, therefore, the question of fake currency does not actually arise. Even if a fake currency note was filled by the teller in the tray, it will not be ejected through the ATM, and will remain stuck inside the machine.

Banks have machines and lamps that enable the tellers to detect a fake note immediately. Such gadgets are now routinely used by shopkeepers and vendors, who are not even professionals, to examine the notes. That being so, complainants should ask the teller of the relevant branch to verify whether or not the said currency note is a fake.

Khawaja Tajammul Hussain
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2024