An article out of The Gazette (Montreal)
PAUL CHERRY, The Gazette
Published: Friday, January 19, 2007
A series of bogus $20 bills continue to circulate widely throughout Canada even though the RCMP shut down the operation suspected of producing them more than a month ago.
The Mounties discovered the counterfeiting operation in Longueuil in December while probing the origins of more than 18,000 fake $20 bills that had been put into circulation.
Equipment was seized, arrests were made and a 44-year-old man was charged. But the story does not end there, RCMP Sgt. Andre Bacon said.
Since the Dec. 18 bust, more than 9,000 fakes believed to have been printed in the building on Montee St. Hubert have turned up in banks, stores and other businesses.
"They are mostly found here in Quebec, but hundreds have turned up in every other province," Bacon said.
It is common for counterfeiting rings to have a system where underlings are used to make small purchases with the fake bills to get real money back as change, he added.
The bogus bills, an attempt to duplicate the Birds of Canada series, have a common defect: The Bank of Canada's optical security device, in the top left corner, does not change colour from gold to green when bent at a 45-degree angle, as it does on a real note.
Marcel Menard, a St. Hubert resident with a lengthy criminal record, faces four charges related to counterfeiting in the case. He was granted bail on Dec. 20 and is scheduled to appear in court again on Feb. 13.
If you hold a counterfeit bill, it is a crime to pass it along. It must be surrendered to police and, if possible, the details of where, when and how it came into your possession should be related to authorities. You will not be reimbursed.
For information on how to spot a counterfeit banknote, visit
www.bankofcanada.ca/en/banknotespcherry@thegazette.canwest.com
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007
