What to Do If an ATM or Bank Gives You a Fake Note in Pakistan

Short answer: Report it to the bank straight away, in writing, with the date, time, machine or branch, and the note itself. The State Bank has told banks to issue only machine-checked notes and to keep camera footage of cash handling for at least 60 days. The bank must acknowledge your complaint within 48 hours.

You take cash out of an ATM, or collect it at a bank counter, and later a shopkeeper hands one note back. It is fake. The note came from a place that is supposed to check every note. Most people keep quiet and lose the money. You do not have to.

We read two State Bank pages on 14 October 2026: its banknote page, which describes its cash rules for banks, and its consumer protection page, which lists complaint deadlines. The State Bank pages do not set out a special "fake note" procedure, so the steps below join those two rules and are our advice.

Banks are told to hand out only machine-checked notes

The State Bank issued a currency management strategy for banks in August 2015. It told banks to automate their cash work and to issue only machine-authenticated banknotes to the public, through branches and ATMs. A fake note from either place should not happen.

The page gives the reasons: to bring cash handling up to good international practice, to make sure banks can detect fake notes so none is issued, and to improve the quality of notes in circulation.

The same page says banks must have cameras covering cash processing from start to finish, with high-resolution footage kept for at least 60 days. It says the footage is used to resolve disputes. State Bank cash monitoring teams also visit branches and ATMs without warning, and non-compliant banks are heavily penalised.

What to do in the first hour

Do not spend or pass on the note. Keep it in a clean envelope. Write down where and when you got it, and tell the bank the same day. The 60-day footage rule means a late complaint can lose the evidence.

1. Keep the note and do not mark or fold it. Take a clear photo of both sides.
2. Write the date, time, the ATM location or branch, and the amount you took out.
3. Keep the ATM receipt or the withdrawal slip, and your bank statement entry.
4. Go to the branch, or call its helpline, and say you want to lodge a complaint about a counterfeit note. Ask for a complaint number.
5. Follow up in writing by email or letter, and keep a copy.

Note that a note you got days earlier from a shop, a friend or the market is a different matter. The bank is only responsible for notes it gave you. For notes you have already, see how to exchange torn or damaged banknotes.

The deadlines your bank must meet

The State Bank sets a timeline for complaints. The bank must acknowledge within 48 hours. If the matter needs close scrutiny, it sends an interim reply after 10 working days. Minor complaints get a final reply within 7 working days, and every complaint within 15 days.

Whether a fake note counts as a "fraud-related" complaint is for the bank and the State Bank to say. Ask the bank which timeline it applies, and write the answer down. If the bank sends no reply, that is the moment to go higher.

If the bank does not fix it

The State Bank page lists two next steps. You can approach the Banking Mohtasib Pakistan, an independent body that settles disputes between customers and banks, after writing to the bank first. Or you can send a complaint to the State Bank through its Help Desk.

The page says the Mohtasib route needs you to write to the bank first and say you plan to refer the matter. It also says the State Bank does not step in where a case is before a court or a law enforcement agency. A fake note may also be a matter for law enforcement, which could limit what the State Bank does.

See how to file a complaint with the Banking Mohtasib and the State Bank complaint portal. If the machine took money but gave nothing, the steps are in when an ATM does not dispense your cash.

Reduce the risk before you leave the machine

Count and look at the notes before you walk away from the ATM or counter. Check one or two features on large notes. A few seconds at the machine is far easier than a complaint three days later.

For a quick check of the largest note, read how to check a Rs 5,000 note is genuine. For wider bank complaint timelines, the guide to bank fraud complaint deadlines adds detail. And for how much cash is out there, see notes in circulation.

Common questions

Should I take the fake note to the police?

Start with the bank. The State Bank pages do not describe a police step. Keep the note, since it is the evidence, and follow the bank's instruction.

Will the bank replace the note?

We found no State Bank rule that says so. Ask the bank in writing what it will do. The consumer protection rules only set the complaint timeline.

How long does the bank keep camera footage?

At least 60 days, according to the State Bank's currency management strategy. After that it may be deleted, so complain early.

Can I complain to the State Bank directly?

Yes, through its Help Desk, after you have used the bank's own complaint process, according to the State Bank's consumer protection page.

What if the note came from a shop?

Then the bank is not responsible. Take the note to a bank for checking and note where you got it.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 14 October 2026, Pakistan time. We read the State Bank pages Rupay ko pehchano and Consumer Protection. Neither names a fake-note procedure, a refund for the note, or whether such a complaint is treated as fraud. We also did not confirm that the 60-day camera rule covers ATM cameras. Those points are for your bank to confirm in writing.