Woman arrested over fake fifties

About 11.50am on Friday 20 June, a woman entered a business on Commercial Road and attempted to make payment for goods using fake $50 notes. Staff identified the notes to be fake and the woman snatched them back before leaving the store.

The woman appeared to enter a second store along Commercial Road before heading to the mall area.

Western District patrols responded and arrested the woman nearby. Officers located and seized the counterfeit notes in her possession.

A 38-year-old woman from Port Lincoln was charged with uttering counterfeit money. She was bailed to appear in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on 1 August.

If you suspect you have a counterfeit note, please report it to the police assistance line on 131 444. Handle the note as little as possible and store it in an envelope. Please be prepared to tell police the time and place where you believe you were passed the fake bank note and a description of the person or people you believe passed it to you.

If you are business proprietor and believe the fake bank note was passed by a customer, note the person’s description and details if they leave the premises prior to police arrival. Please also note any other relevant information such as description of the suspect, anyone else they were with, and their vehicle.

If you have CCTV, please check the footage for the suspect to assist police.

Police recommend that anyone accepting money check the texture of the note, other in-built security features and printing.

To determine if a suspect note is counterfeit, it is best to compare it with a note that is known to be genuine.

For more information about how to detect counterfeit notes please see this information from the Reserve Bank of Australia:

http://banknotes.rba.gov.au/counterfeit-detection/counterfeit-detection-guide/