North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP are asking business owners in the Cowichan Valley to be vigilant when accepting cash after receiving several reports of counterfeit currency the last few weeks.
Several local banks and businesses have turned over suspected counterfeit currency to the RCMP. The counterfeit currency circulating has recently been in denominations of $5, $20, and $100, but does not preclude other fraudulent denominations or fraudulent U.S. currency from being passed.
“The suspected counterfeit bills are reported to have security features that even include holographs,” noted North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP Const. Amron Christensen.
“We are encouraging vendors in the community to be suspicious of any currency that doesn’t look or feel real,” added Sgt. Trevor Busch.
People suspecting a counterfeit bill or with information about counterfeiting activity in the Cowichan Valley are urged to contact the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522. You can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at cowichancrimestoppers.com to leave a secure tip online or call 1-800-222-8477.
For more information about how to recognize counterfeit currency, visit the Bank of Canada Counterfeit Prevention Website.