Today Goznak released a mobile app that allows to determine the authenticity of recently issued bills, the 200 and 2000 rubles. One of the reasons was the regular refusal of vendors to accept such bills.
After a few such troubling experiences, our correspondent, Elena Erofeeva, went to a store to try these bills, and we'll show you what happened.
On the station square at the Belorusskiy station, people are not accepting the new bills. Taxi drivers are not taking passengers, vendors aren't selling shawarma for 200 rubles. In stores and shops, bills are distrustfully examined for the first time.
- These aren't our money.
- Just let me buy it.
- Give me regular money
- Take the money and give me the goods.
- I won't take it, I don't know what it is.
- It's money, I give you money, you give me the product.
Sellers are afraid that the bill is a fake. But experts of Goznak are assuring: when creating banknotes, new protective technologies were used. Hidden figures, micro text, a protective thread with a picture of the ruble. For the visually impaired large tactile symbols. It's almost impossible to forge these bills.
Arkady Trachuk, CEO of Goznak: "There's a QR code, using which it's possible to access information on the Bank of Russia website, conformations related to the bill's security features".
Today Goznak released to the public a new app for determining the authenticity of these banknotes. We install the app, direct the mobile phone camera on the bill and get the result.
"Do you see the bridge with the moving cars?"
But the road from presentation to the market is long. This is one of the large chain stores. The main office assured us that all cashiers were familiar with the new banknotes. In reality, it turned out that not all of them were.
The cashier: "Better look for the others, the machine won't even take it".
Rospotrebnadzor opened a hotline for complaints. Vendor's refusal to accept a new bill will be considered an administrative offense punishable by a fine of 50,000 rubles.
Oleg Prusakov, Rospotrebnadzor: "Allegedly, cash registers don't accept these bills, they don't read them and so on. but these are all unreasonable claims, and the consumer should not suffer".
Central Bank specialists are conducting classes for cashiers: on how to check the bills visually. The rising sun over the Russky Island isn't just a picture, but forgery protection.
Vladimir Demidenko, Central Bank of Russia: "The knowledge of Bank of Russia bills is a necessary cashier skill at trade organizations".
And on the Internet, 200 and 2000 bills are sold as souvenirs, for more money than their actual value. But soon new bills will be in the wallets and purses of all Russians since salaries and pensions will be paid out in these denominations.
Elena Erofeeva, Nataliya Novgorodova, Tatiana Stepovaya. Vesti
