Revised CATS Procedure Dec.20161

COMMERCIAL BANK OF ETHIOPIA December 1, 2016
10.4.7 Forged (Counterfeit) Notes
a) Counterfeit Birr notes shall be marked “COUNTERFIET” in front of the presenter.
Otherwise, she or he shall have a ground on which to lodge a complaint as having
been unduly expropriated of her/his property.
b) If a rubber stamp is used for marking, it should not be heavily inked or cover the
numbers, the portrait, the signature or any other feature that makes the note
clearly different from that of a genuine Birr note.
c) If a counterfeit money note is noticed after it has been accepted and mixed with
the overall cash of the Bank and there is no way to pinpoint the presenter of the
note, the Customer Services Officer who has received the counterfeit is liable for
making the value of the Birr note as good as it should be. In addition to that, she
or he will have to discover the Birr note and mark it accordingly and then
withdraw it from circulation.
d) Whenever a counterfeit Birr note is intercepted by the Bank, the Federal Police
/nearest police station has to be informed about it immediately. In fact, the note
itself should be sent to the nearest police station, after a stamp indicating that it
is counterfeit has been affixed to it, together with a written report thereon. The
report should clearly show the address of the customer and her/his statement as
to how she/he acquired the note. A copy of this report along with the physical
counterfeit note must then be sent to the Manager-Customers’ Account and
Operation at CATS-CPC, Risk and compliance Management and the District
Office.
e) The Bank has no authority to detain the possessor of the note. Still, it will have to
notify the police on the phone while preparing the report.
CATS Procedure | 190