Chief executive Alan Rowe said he had a call from the bank asking them if they realised there was a forged note in their bundle of hundreds.
Mr Rowe’s first thought was that the note would not have gone through the club’s note counter but after getting it back, he found it went straight through.
He said the note was a very good forgery with serial numbers and the same colours as a $100 note, but in good lighting the word ‘specimen’ printed across it could be detected.
“Clubs are not well lit, and you would need a well-lit room to see it,” Mr Rowe said.
“It’s a good forgery … at a glance you wouldn’t pick it.
“I don’t think it would have gone through the poker machines but if someone bought a coffee or a drink they would get a lot of real cash in change.
“If you used one at every business, you could make a lot of money.”
In another tell-tale sign, the window, which should be transparent, can’t be seen through.
Mr Rowe said it was the first time in 11 years at Club Mulwala he had seen counterfeit bank notes.
“Young people don’t really use cash so they probably wouldn’t know the difference,” he said.
“We are protected in the clubs but I’m more worried about the smaller businesses in the community.”
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