Bogus bills making rounds in capital - cops
Fredericton Police Force issues alert about counterfeit currency being used around city
Despite a couple of recent arrests stemming from alleged use of counterfeit U.S. cash in the city, the Fredericton Police Force says it’s received more reports of the bogus bills being passed locally.
The city police force issued a news release Friday to put area retailers on notice that they should keep an eye out for funny money being used to purchase goods.
“The Fredericton Police Force would like to advise local area retailers to be aware of counterfeit U.S. currency that is being circulated in the city,” the release stated.
It noted that officers made recent arrests with regard to the possession and utterance of counterfeit bills, but the force has since received more reports of such frauds in Fredericton.
The police force shared some tips on how to tell if U.S. currency received might be counterfeits:
By holding the bill up to the light, one should be able to see a security thread (a plastic strip) running from the top of the bill to the bottom, except for $1 and $2 denominations;
Plastic strips in denominations of $5 US or more should glow a specific colour when exposed to ultraviolet light, or black light.
Colour-shifting ink was incorporated into the lower right corner of legitimate U.S. bills as a security feature introduced in 1996, and tilting the bill allows one to see the colour shift.
Genuine bills have watermarks, which one can see by holding the bill to the light to see a faint image to the right of the portrait on denominations of $5 and more.
Anyone who’s been fleeced by accepting the counterfeit U.S. cash or who suspects they might have received some is urged to contact the city police force by calling 506-460-2300.
Those wishing to report information anonymously can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
City police officers arrested Tyler Joshua Depow, 33, and Danielle Jean Kerr, 36, on March 21, and charged them with possession and use of counterfeit U.S. currency at various Fredericton retailers in January and February.
While Kerr was released by a court on conditions, Depow was remanded pending a bail hearing, which has been postponed twice so far.
His bail hearing is now scheduled for April 4.
The Fredericton Independent can be reached at ftonindependent@gmail.com.