A store owner in Dongguan was given 15 notes with same serial number, HD90268566, on January 1. The fakes are hard to identify with the naked eye. Similar notes have also been found in other places such as Fujian, Zhejiang and Sichuan, Nanfang Daily reports.

The nine provinces in which suspected fake 100-yuan notes have been found are: Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Fujian, Henan and Shandong.

The fake note serial number often begins with HD90.

The fake note serial number often begins with HD90. The subject is now a hot topic on the Internet.

High-quality counterfeit 100-yuan notes with serial numbers beginning with HD90.

One victim, a Mr. Zhang, tells his story about the fake notes: in the evening of January 1, one of his staff got a cell phone call from a man who claimed to be the manager of a hotel and who needed to buy goods valued at more than 1500 yuan. When the sales clerk reached the hotel, the man asked to do the deal outside the hotel – at a crossroads, in fact. The man paid with 15 new 100-yuan notes and disappeared.

In the dim light the shopkeeper did not notice anything wrong with the money at the time, but realized there was a problem immediately on returning to the shop. He ran straight back to the hotel in search of the man, but the hotel told him that no one had ordered any goods, and the man's phone had been switched off.

These 15 fake notes, with the same serial number – HD90268566, are convincing to the touch, and the watermark and colours seem to be accurate.

Police from Fenggang Public Security Bureau remind the public that they can check at bank outlets if they are concerned about the authenticity of bank notes. If a fake note is identified, please call 110 immediately.

Many local banks have indicated that they have had no complaints concerning an influx into the Pearl River Delta, but last year Chongqing warned banks to upgrade counters and ATM cash registers.

"Emergency" warnings are spreading on QQ and websites, claiming the fake notes are flowing into Guangdong. Nanfang Daily has also received many recent calls saying fake 100-yuan notes whose serial number begins with HD90 and HB90 are being used in taxis or night markets.

One reader, a Mr. Liu, recounts how his friend paid money to a taxi driver but was asked by the driver to change the note he offered. Later the passenger realized that the note he had been given back was not his original one, but a fake note with a serial number beginning with HB90. A Dongcheng vegetable seller was also cheated by such note. She said it felt genuine when she touched the note under faint light.

Recently, HD 90 notes have been a hot topic on Internet. Some bloggers have issued warnings about them, while others try to sell them openly. One blogger at sina.com offers fake notes with face values from 5 to 100 yuan for purchase. The 100 yuan note with serial number beginning with HD90 or HB90 sells at 18 yuan, the 50 yuan note with serial number beginning with FA17 sells at 12 yuan, and the 20 yuan note with serial number beginning with FC3358 sells at 7 yuan.