Safety Warehouse giveaway: Fake $5 notes used to dupe Hamilton bar

Discount vouchers from an Auckland promotional event were used to buy drinks at a Hamilton bar. Photo / Supplied

Fake money from a controversial promotional cash-drop in Auckland has been used to dupe a bar into providing free drinks in Hamilton.

On Saturday work apparel company The Safety Warehouse hosted a $100,000 cash drop in central Auckland's Aotea Square.

Tensions flared when some of the money turned out to be discount vouchers for the online store, printed to look like $5 notes.

Duped attendees demanded to be compensated with real cash, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called for an apology.

But that hasn't stopped the "banknotes" from being used.

In Hamilton, the Outback Inn discovered $20 worth of the lookalike bills in their till count from Saturday night's takings.

John Lawrenson, chief executive of the Lawrenson Group, told Newshub they didn't even notice until the end of the night.

"The manager was counting up the tills and just noticed that some of the $5 notes were slightly different from the others. As it turned out, the money from the cash dump had managed to make its way down to Hamilton and had been used to buy a few drinks."

Lawrenson said the amount used was relatively immaterial in the grand scheme of things but believes other establishments might be affected.

"[The $5 notes] are quite similar and I can certainly see how on a dark night in the middle of a busy shift that bartenders would make the mistake that has been made here."

Fake notes from and Auckland cash drop were used at Hamilton's Outback Inn over the weekend. Photo / Facebook

A Reserve Bank spokesperson wouldn't comment on a particular case while there is an ongoing police review, but said publishing anything resembling a genuine banknote or coin that resembles the real thing may breach the law.

The Safety Warehouse released a statement and said the cash drop had been a "misunderstood narrative" and the event had been "unfairly characterised as an event with fake money". They stressed "real funds were given away as anticipated", and there was "no intent to deprive, mislead or embarrass" anyone.