Chatham-Kent police warn local residents, particularly local business owners, to be wary of U.S. currency.
Since January of this year, the local service has investigated 11 incidents of counterfeit American $20 bills being used to purchase items in Chatham-Kent.
Two Chatham men have been arrested and charged with using counterfeit money.
As well, a Chatham youth was found to be in possession of the funny money.
The fake bill has the serial number JB44CYBEHNP, with the N appearing backwards, which is how it appears in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet.
Police say these bills are being circulated throughout North America.
Possessing and using counterfeit cash are criminal offences. Business owners do not have to accept a bill if they believe it is counterfeit.
The Bank of Canada provides information on how to tell whether Canadian or American bills are counterfeithttps://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/counterfeit-prevention/
If you suspect someone is trying to use a counterfeit bill or if you’ve received counterfeit money, please call C-K police at 519-352-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
