Christmas can be a busy time for retailers, but it is also a busy time or those who are less than honest, and in recent weeks, there has been some reports of people passing counterfeit currency.
Corporal Steve Lloyd says there have been some reports that have come to the police’s attention.
“Recently we have seen more instances of people using counterfeit US currency,” he said. “It is something to be aware of if you are a shop owner.”
He explains that the use of counterfeit bills is rare in the valley. In September, a man was sentenced for attempting to pass a fake $100 bill last January. In September, Red Deer RCMP were looking for a woman who was accused of passing counterfeit US $100, and there were links to instances in Stettler, Three Hills, Strathmore and Lacombe.
In 2015, there were 1,747 fake banknotes passed in Alberta, of which 484 were seized.
Dave Zora, owner of Classic Cabs says a $50 note was passed to him from one of his regular customers. Zora often collects American currency to hold on to for vacations in the United States. He said originally the bill was passed at the local bowling alley.
“There is nothing we can do with it, it is definitely counterfeit. It is not a bad looking bill, it’s actually passable,” said Zora, adding the texture of the paper made it easy for him to identify. “Apparently there are other businesses in town that have had them come through.”
Zora has passed the word on to other local businesses to be on the lookout.
Corporal Lloyd says retailers should be wary of any denomination of American currency.
“Anyone who has been paying attention should be able to catch it,” said Lloyd.
More information on how to identify counterfeit Canadian money is available at www.bankofcanada.com. Added security features on Canadian currency, on the new polymer bills have made a substantial difference. In 2006, $6.7 Million worth of counterfeit money was passed, in 2015, the value dropped to $0.6 million.
Information on how to identify US currency can be found at www.uscurrency.gov.
“Especially with the amount of shopping that is going on right now, I would encourage people, that if they see any cash that looks suspect, don’t accept it and instruct the people to take it to a bank and they will be able to tell you,” said Lloyd. “I encourage shop owners who deal with cash all the time to be a little more diligent, especially at this time of year.”
