Since 2017, various people have been nabbed and arrested for producing and possessing fake bank notes, especially the K2000 note. This year it was reported that the counterfeit notes were abundant in Phalombe, while Mzuzu and Salima reported arrests.

Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) is currently training police officers on  tackling production of counterfeit notes. The development comes as a response to the increasing crime in Malawi. As much as citizens are concerned about the matter too, they feel that RBM is not doing enough to curb the problem. Commenting on the sensitive topic, interviewees opted to remain anonymous.

“I have not seen any video advert that is bringing awareness on distinguishing between a fake note and a real note” says a Chirimba citizen, “how then do they expect this problem to minimise?”. Concerned for their own safety, people were asking how police distinguish between a criminal that produces fake notes and an innocent person who just happened to have a fake note due to lack of knowledge. “Had we all known what a fake K2000 looks like, this problem would have been long gone” says another.    

The concerns of people are justified, as businesses fear loss and customers fear prosecution due to lack of knowledge on what a counterfeit bank note looks like. The overall concern was lack of information about the matter on local media, citing all that people have heard are warnings against the crime and no broader communication about what a counterfeit note looks like.