Fort St. John RCMP, Dairy Queen warning of uptick in counterfeit bills

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Staff at the Fort St. John Dairy Queen are warning residents about a recent increase in the number of counterfeit bills they’ve seen.

According to workers at the restaurant, three people have attempted to pay with counterfeit bills in the last three days.

One tried to pay using a counterfeit bill that a manager spotted. The manager kept the fake bill, which was later handed off to police.

After that, workers say another customer came into the restaurant on Wednesday, August 28th, with a counterfeit $100 bill they attempted to pay with.

“Management caught it, but she gave it back to him, and then he left,” employee Linda Patterson says, adding that they discovered a counterfeit $5 bill in one of the registers while counting change that evening.

According to another worker who wished to remain anonymous, the people creating the counterfeit bills begin by printing out the non-holographic portions of $50 and $100 bills.

Afterward, they cut the holographic portions out of $5 and $10 bills, then attach them to the fake $50s and $100s using clear tape.

“The easiest tell-tale sign,” the worker explains, “is that they use clear tape to tape up the holograms and the bills together, to make it look like a normal bill again, and there’s always a ridge from the tape that is very easily identifiable.”

RCMP Provincial Constable Chad Neustater informed Energeticcity.ca that other businesses in the region have also reported an uptick in counterfeit bills recently.

Neustater says a man attended the North Asian Food Store and attempted to use a counterfeit $50 bill on the 27th.

Then, on Wednesday, August 28th, the same man returned to the food store and tried to pay with a counterfeit $100 bill, and the local KFC reported a man who tried to pass a counterfeit $50 bill.

“The Fort St John RCMP wants the community at large to be on the lookout for counterfeit cash, but businesses especially,” Neustater says.

“It is likely that with this many attempts to pass of counterfeit bills already that it may continue into the near future.”

Business owners are urged to refuse suspected counterfeit bills politely and request a different bill, advise the person attempting to use the counterfeit to check it with police, and report to the RCMP if they believe a bill is counterfeit or someone attempted to pass a suspected counterfeit.

Neustater says all the investigations are ongoing but remain in the early stages. 

The Fort St. John RCMP detachment is asking anyone who has information to call 250-787-8100 or submit an anonymous tip via Crime Stoppers.