More ‘Funny-Money’ Making The Rounds In Barrie

Barrie Police say counterfeit American $20 bills were recently passed at several stores on Bayfield Street. In one case, the bill was not detected until the suspect left the store. Another attempt at a second store was thwarted when the cashier became suspicious. The suspect fled, but left the bill behind. Polcie say a second suspect tried to pass a fake American $50 bill. it, too, was declined and the suspects fled in a white, 4-door, mid-size sedan that had been waiting outside.

The suspects are described as:

• male, black
• 20-30 yrs
• wearing a white ‘Puma’ t-shirt, grey/beige pants and black high-top shoes

And

• male, black
• 25-45 yrs.
• wearing a white tank top, grey pants and a chain

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Hayes of the Barrie Police Service at 705-725-7025 ext.2570, bhayes@barriepolice.ca or remain anonymous contact and Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477)

Police advise if you have US currency in your possession and are unsure of its authenticity, follow these steps to certify the real value of your money or contact police for assistance:

• counterfeit money will often feel distinctly different from authentic money
• genuine money is often thinner than counterfeit money
• compare the bill with another of the same denomination
• inspect the printing quality
• examine the serial numbers, each bill will have a different serial number
• check the security features on the bill. The bills will be equipped with a security thread (plastic strip) that runs vertically and the bill will have watermarks

Counterfeit bill photo credit: Lee, Flickr