Mission – Mission RCMP are warning the public about a man who allegedly used counterfeit $50 bills to pay for items purchased through Facebook Marketplace.
A woman recently attended a coffee shop in Mission to sell a laptop and tablet that she had posted on Facebook Marketplace. The buyer came into the coffee shop and gave the woman an envelope with payment all in $50 bills. She gave him the laptop and tablet, then he left. It wasn’t until the woman went through the money for a second time that she noticed that the shiny part of one of the bills was not properly attached. Upon going through the rest of the bills, she noticed the same defect on all of them. It was also later noted that all of the bills bear the same serial number. It is unknown whether the man first showed genuine bills to the woman, then switched the money envelopes at some point, or whether the counterfeit bills were originally produced, but the defects were not noticed when the woman first looked at the bills.
Police are releasing a photo of the man in hopes that someone may identify him, and also to make other Marketplace sellers aware of him, in case he tries to use the same tactic with someone else. The Facebook profile name he used is believed to have been fake and is still under investigation, so police are not releasing the profile name at this time.
If you recognize this suspect, call Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161, file 26-3219. Anyone selling items through Marketplace or another platform are encouraged to verify the authenticity of payment prior to actually exchanging the item. For tips on how to confirm a bill is genuine, visit the Bank of Canada’s website: https://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/counterfeit-prevention/ Anyone who falls victim to a Marketplace scam of any sort should immediately contact their local police.
