Police are warning local businesses and residents to be on their guard after a counterfeit $100 bill was found in New Glasgow Friday.
The bill, with blue Chinese characters, was reported to New Glasgow Regional Police and described as looking ‘very realistic,’ despite the Chinese writing.
“Over the years we have had several different types of counterfeit currency in the New Glasgow area,” said Const. Ken MacDonald.
He added that counterfeit Canadian and American dollar bills of various denominations have been recovered.
According to MacDonald, if one fake bill is discovered, there are likely others in circulation.
However, detecting fake notes can be hard for stores and other businesses, which handle large numbers of customers every day.
While the Chinese writing made this particular bill easy to spot, other counterfeit dollar bills can be expertly disguised by forgers to look like the real thing.
The Bank of Canada says that real notes include security features such as holographic images and raised ink, among others.
Business owners and employees should politely refuse any customer who tries to hand them a suspected counterfeit note, ask for another and check it over, have them go to the police and report the incident to police themselves. People who hand over fake bills are often just unwitting victims of counterfeiters.
Those who have already been given a suspected fake note should hand it over to police. They will return it if it is real. Timely reporting helps law enforcement shut down counterfeiters.
Anyone with information about this incident should contact New Glasgow Regional Police at 902-752-1941.
If people wish to remain anonymous, they can also contact Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477) or text TIP202 followed by the message to ‘CRIMES’ (274637), or submit tips via Secure Web at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca.
Calls to Crime Stoppers are not tapped or traced and if police make an arrest and lay charges based on the tip, callers can qualify for a cash award.
