Retailers are being urged to be alert after reports of counterfeit cash being used by a customer for payment at several Simcoe businesses.
Ontario Provincial Police began investigating after receiving complaints about a man tendering fake $5, $20 and $50 Canadian bank notes for payment.
The suspect is described as being 5’6″ to 5’11” in height with a thin to medium build. He has medium/long unkempt dark hair worn in a ponytail. Police say at the time of the incidents he was wearing blue jeans, a black flat brimmed baseball hat with a sticker on the top left side, and a black vest worn over a dark-coloured hooded sweatshirt with a logo design on the front. He also wore dark boots with open laces.
The suspect also wore a bandanna over his face and had distinctive tattoos on both forearms, said police.
“If you suspect a bank note is counterfeit, politely refuse to accept it,” Norfolk OPP said in a media release. “Please inform the person to check the note with their bank and contact police in order to report a possible attempt to pass suspected counterfeit money.”
Norfolk OPP is continuing to investigate. Anyone with information or who may recognize the suspect is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Those wishing to remain anonymous is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or leave an anonymous online message in the tips section at www.helpsolvecrime.com.
Norfolk OPP offers the following tips to help spot counterfeit money:
feel the note. All Canadian and US currency is produced with raised ink on the shoulders of the portrait and elsewhere on the note. Run your fingernail over the shoulders of the portrait and you’ll feel the raised ink on a genuine note.
look at the note. The finish on a genuine note does not scrape off and the color does not run when it gets wet. The holographic foil strip is embedded in the note, not added as a sticker, and does not peel off.
Flip the note to see the features in the large window repeated in the same colors and detail on the other side. The transparent window contains a metallic portrait that matches the larger one on the face of the note and changes color when tilted. The transparent window also contains small numbers that match the value of the note.
The dollar value is hidden in the frosted maple leaf in the corner.
On older notes, the holographic strip contains maple leaves that change color when the note is tilted. This strip also contains small numbers that match the value of the note.