A Ponoka man has been arrested by the RCMP for allegedly passing counterfeit money at a local business.
On July 19, RCMP were contacted by a store in Ponoka, where they were advised that a man had just tried to pay with a counterfeit $100 bill. The RCMP arrested the man, and seized the currency, as well as other counterfeit bills that were discovered in his possession.
It was the latest of four similar incidents in Ponoka, all of which featured either counterfeit $100 or $50 bills.
The first incident occured June 30, when the suspect was alleged to have passed a fake $50 bill at a Ponoka drugstore. He tried to pass another fake $50 on July 2 at a second drugstore, and two more $100 bills on July 16.
On July 18, a local bank received several counterfeit bills as deposits from different businesses, but the RCMP have not linked those deposits to the arrested man.
40-year-old Ponoka resident Timothy Jay Rairdan was charged with eight counts of Counterfeit Money: Uttering, using and exporting.
Rairdan was released on a Recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court Friday, September 13, in Ponoka.
“It’s unfortunate that so many businesses in the town fell prey to these fake bills” said Sergeant Chris Smiley, the acting Detachment Commander of thge Ponoka RCMP.
“When in doubt, check the bill out. It pays for business owners and cashiers to know how to recognize counterfeits.”
The RCMP reminded the public to be on the lookout for a number of distinctive features on Canadian currency, including raised ink on the large number on the note, a transparent outline around the frosted maple leaf, raised on the words Banque du Canada and Bank of Canada, and numbers that match the notes’ value. Also, the word Canada should feel slightly raised.
Police also advised that if you suspect a note is counterfeit, politely refuse to accept it. Ask for another note, and check to see if it’s authentic, then report the incident to the police.
