evidence: Pune: A viral message warning people against accepting Rs 500 currency notes, which have the security thread (green strip) placed near Mahatma Gandhi’s impression, has created quite a storm in the real as well as the virtual world. The message said only Rs 500 notes with the green strip near the governor’s signature were real. However, when examined by the panel of experts with the ‘Times Verified’ initiative of The Times of India, the claims in the message were found to be fake. [...] The message has reappeared at a time when counterfeit bills of Rs500 are gaining traction. The RBI’s annual report for 2020-21 stated that there was a 31.3% increase in counterfeits of the new Rs 500 notes, compared to the previous year. There was a decline in counterfeit notes of other denominations.