Counterfeit Currency
Sun, 2005-06-12
At 2:05am on Sunday, Police attended the East Broadway Shell Service Station on Crow Lane in Pembroke after a report of two counterfeit U.S. $50 dollar bills being passed. It appears that around 11pm on Saturday, a man approached the cashier to pay for his gas and handed her a U.S. $50 dollar note. The suspect was given his change and then left the Service Station. A few minutes later the man returned to the Service Station and began to pick up groceries items. He then went to the cashier and paid for the goods with another U.S. $50 dollar note. The cashier later discovered that the currency was counterfeit. The suspect is described as a dark skinned male, approximately 18 years old, of thin build dressed in a dark coloured bubble jacket and riding a dark coloured Honda Lead scooter.
Meantime, at 3:45pm on Sunday, Police attended the Esso City Tiger Market on Richmond Road in Pembroke after a report of counterfeit currency being passed. The manager stated that a man entered the gas station and went to the cashier to exchange four U.S. $50 bills for Bermuda currency. The cashier accepted the U.S. cash and exchanged it, but later discovered that the U.S. $50 notes were counterfeit. However, the cashier got a good description of the culprit who was later arrested and is due to appear in court in the near future.
Recently, the Bermuda Police Service has noticed an increasing amount of Bermuda and U.S. counterfeit currency in circulation on the island.
We are reminding everyone to be vigilant when accepting cash from individuals. Always look for authenticating marks like watermarks, and feel the texture of the money to see if it is a photocopy. We are reminding all businesses, especially liquor licensed premises, to be on the lookout for counterfeit Bermuda $50 notes bearing the serial number D/I-889821 and counterfeit Bermuda $100 notes bearing the serial number C/I-438445. For more information on how to tell a genuine Bermuda or U.S. note from a counterfeit one, click here.
