The Whistler RCMP is educating the public on counterfeit cash after someone tried to pass a fake $100 bill at a Whistler business last month.
The RCMP received the report on Feb. 28, according to a release, and the counterfeit bill was provided to police and removed from circulation.
“We have not received many reports in our area of the discovery of counterfeit currency,” said Cpl. Katrina Boehmer, media relations officer with the Sea to Sky Whistler RCMP, in the release. “Our goal in releasing this information is to provide education on how to detect and deal with transactions involving counterfeit bills. We want our local business owners as well as individuals who post items for sale online to have the tools to protect themselves from this type of fraud.”
To that end, police offered some tips when dealing with counterfeit currency:
- Safety first! Assess the situation and determine whether you are at risk
- Be courteous. Consider that sometimes the individual giving you the bill is also an innocent victim who doesn’t know the bill is suspicious
- Don’t be offended. Cashiers may take a closer look at a bill you are providing, and this is a good way to intercept counterfeit and keep it out of circulation
- Immediately report the counterfeit to your local police
The Bank of Canada provides free training materials to help detect counterfeit currency and protect from fraud. Find it and more tips at Counterfeit prevention - Bank of Canada.
Anyone with any information regarding counterfeit currency, or any other crime, is asked to contact the Sea to Sky Whistler RCMP at 604-932-3044, or contact Crime Stoppers at 1‑800‑222‑TIPS, or go to the website solvecrime.ca.
