Staffordshire Police has issued a warning after counterfeit notes were found across the county, including Stoke-on-Trent.

The police force explained that fraudulent buyers have been using counterfeit notes to pay for items being sold by legitimate sellers on social media platforms.

Officers have received multiple reports of the counterfeit currency being identified after items have been handed over, leaving genuine sellers out-of-pocket.

In the space of three days in December (27, 28 and 29 December), they received three reports of such activity taking place across the county.

On Sunday 28 December, a genuine seller on Facebook marketplace was duped after she met a person claiming to be a genuine buyer, in a public place, and handed over a mobile phone for £1,000, which turned out to be fake.

Staffordshire Police confirmed that one of the instances took place in Stoke-on-Trent.

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: "Counterfeit notes directly fund organised crime and damages the UK economy, creating losses for businesses and ultimately affecting the cost of things we buy.

"To ensure the money you're being handed is genuine, use the 'look, feel, tilt' method – examine the note closely and ensure it has sharp edges and no smudges, run your fingers over the notes to check the note has different textures and raised print, then tilt the note to check the see-through window and metallic image on genuine polymer notes.

"Remember, it is always better to buy and sell goods using reputable banking services, or payment platforms such as PayPal or others, where you will have automatic protection."

For more on how to identify counterfeit currency, visit the Bank of England website here.