The Ipswich Star reported on 30 October 2026 that taxi drivers in the town are out of pocket after a rise in passengers paying with counterfeit notes. Mo Ali, an Ipswich driver, told the paper the problem had grown in recent weeks and that drivers were worried about providing for their families. He describes customers seen with bags full of counterfeit notes, and he fears the issue spreads throughout the town and hurts other businesses as well.
Passengers can be of any age, and some rush the payment. Some have told drivers they had no other money, so the loss sits with the driver. Checking a note is harder on a busy night, including rainy evenings and football matches, when taxis are in demand. Some drivers have cameras in the vehicle that could provide evidence. Another driver, who is not named, caught a passenger trying to pay with a fake note. Confronted, that person had loads of other counterfeit money in his hand.
On the notes themselves, Mo Ali's account is that fake £10 and £20 notes stay in circulation if a driver hands them to a customer or another business. Banks and the police destroy notes that are handed in, while the people passing them can carry on. Drivers want the police and the council to work with them to prosecute those who pay with counterfeit cash. The Star photographed a £10 a driver had been given and described the main difference as three dots missing from the top left corner, set beside a genuine note. It also showed a £20 a driver had received.
Mo Ali said: "A lot of our taxi drivers have been hit. By the time you check it, you realise you've been done, by which time it's too late. It's difficult to identify, especially when you're working at a stressful night.
"Normally it happens at night. A lot of us have got families to look after, costs to pay, and if we're taking hits, then obviously that puts pressure on us. We mostly accept card payments, but cash is quite good, because we have a delay before card payments go to our account.
"If you don't catch these criminals, they're going to carry on doing this and people are going to get hit. And it will be the ordinary innocent people who get hit."
Reporting a suspect note
Suffolk Police urged anyone who believes they have been given a fake banknote to report it. A spokesperson said people who suspect a counterfeit note should avoid passing it on, keep it where appropriate, and report the circumstances through the non-emergency route or online. An emergency call is for a crime in progress, or for an immediate chance to identify or locate a suspect. The Bank of England website has guidance on checking a note and identifying counterfeit currency.