Absa has warned consumers not to accept dye-stained notes, because such notes are the proceeds of crime.
Stan Steele, the general manager of Absa group administration, says in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, it is a crime to be in possession of such notes.
A dye-stained note is a bank note that has any trace of dye used in a currency protection device. Steele says you should be alert to pink, orange, blue or red smudges on the face or sides of bank notes.
If you inadvertently receive dye-stained notes, you should contact your bank, which will give you a claim form issued by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). The SARB will refund you for the note.
You must complete the claim form and send it to: The Manager, South African Reserve Bank, Pretoria North, PO Box 17376, Pretoria North 0116.
The requirement to fill in a claim form discourages criminals, because someone whose name continuously appears on the SARB's claims database may well be laundering through the ATM and banking network, Steele says.