Phony American $20 and $50-dollar bills have turned up in the Okanagan.
Kelowna RCMP say they're looking into 10 cases where the fake money was used to buy goods and services at various local businesses including casinos, thrift stores, banks, sports complexes, drug stores, and restaurants in Kelowna and West Kelowna.
RCMP Corporal Jesse O'Donaghey says in most cases, the bogus bills were discovered by employees at financial institutions in the businesses nightly bank deposits.
He says investigators are working to identify several persons of interest - and have released video surveillance images.
In the meantime, “our hope is to prevent further incidents where these fake bills are accepted by unsuspecting retailers in our community,” states Cst. Jacqueline Montpetit of the Kelowna RCMP GIS Economic Crime Unit. “We recommend that business owners and operators review their policies and ensure that their employees familiarize themselves with the detection of counterfeit currency.”
For an excellent resource regarding security features on US currency, please visit https://www.secretservice.gov/data/KnowYourMoney.pdf
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP GIS Economic Crime Unit at 250-762-3300. Or remain completely anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net or by texting your tip to CRIMES (274637) ktown.