Oh dear, I think this may be an elaborate scam

[bubble2bubble]

Opinions would be appreciated
A buyer contacts me to ask if I will accept cash by registered post as she doesn't have Paypal. I think it's a bit strange but agree and she duly orders £60 worth of products. The money takes quite a while to arrive but nevertheless does arrive today and I email to tell her we have the cash and I am posting her products. DH has signed for the delivery as he is in our RL shop but then phones back to say one of the notes is a forgery.
It's a very good forgery, admittedly, but I take it to the bank and they confirm what we thought.
So I email the buyer to tell her what has happened and offer to return the note but then I realise how completely stupid I have been.
I cannot prove that the fake note came from her . If she is honest then she will think that I am scamming her. If it was deliberate then she can still claim the same thing. There is no good resolution to this is there? She has 200+ positive feedback, I have a shop & 500+100% feedback in the last year. I have been such an idiot. NEVER AGAIN will I agree to cash.

My immediate thought was that all the notes were fake, but this is definately not the case.
Even if I go to the police I have no way of proving where it came from IYSWIM - I could have picked it up in the street and then tried to blame it on the buyer.

I would just send the money back to her special delivery - she could be innocent.

Did the bank not confiscate the note?

That's weird. I thought you had to have PayPal in order to join eBay? I'm sure that was the case when I joined last year.

She may well be innocent but if I just send the money back she may say it's not what she sent me?

The bank just gave me the forged note back to do what I want with - never occurred to me the might keep but but then again I wasn't trying to lodge it, just asking them to confirm the forgery

One forgery amidst all good ones is a common thing for small-time forgers to do. Less likely to be spotted.

Good as MN is for Ebay help, I would take this one to the Ebay own fora for Sellers. You'll get as good as possible advice there about your problem.

I'm surprised beyond belief that the bank let you keep it, especially if it was a 'good' fake.

Regardless of what you do re. the Ebay sale, I would suggest contacting De La Rue (they print UK notes) - they have a fraud department and would be VERY interested in hearing about / looking at a 'good' forgery.

Banks keep fakes. They are also supposed to issue a business with a document detailing why they have kept the note, as a form of receipt.

Ok crisis averted. Maybe.
I have just had a very apologetic email from the buyer and have agreed to send goods to the value of £40 rather than £60. So maybe it she was genuine after all.

Anxious you are right about banks - normally if we missed a fake note & lodged it the bank just writes to us with the adjusted figure for the lodgement & the reason why. In this case though I just went in and asked the guy at the counter to check it for me, which he did and handed it it back! Should say though small town, small bank, next door to our shop,they all know me...
In the past we have kept any forgeries we find to show staff what to look for! Haven't had one for a long time though since a couple of years ago we introduced a very obvious checking system at the till in front of the customer.