Counterfeit cash concerns resurface in Fort Erie

Reports of suspected counterfeit bills are circulating among Fort Erie residents and businesses, prompting police to check recent complaints of fake currency in the town.

Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) confirmed one report at the Flying J Travel Center on Pettit Road, near the Queen Elizabeth Way, but officers have yet to speak with the person who contacted them.

Staff Sergeant Rich Gadreau told Fort Erie Radio that a review of calls from November 6 to November 10 found no other counterfeit currency complaints in Fort Erie, Crystal Beach, Ridgeway or Stevensville.

The warnings appeared in the Fort Erie Community Watch Facebook group, where residents shared allegations about a man attempting to pay for purchases with counterfeit bills.

Fort Erie resident Wes Init, owner of The Chocolate Laboratory on Lundy’s Lane in Niagara Falls, told Fort Erie Radio that he encountered a man earlier this year resembling the person described in the warnings.

Init said the customer purchased a candy apple for a young girl accompanying him and mentioned that he lived in Buffalo.

Another business later contacted Init after refusing a purchase from a man whose wallet contained what employees believed were suspicious banknotes.

“They figured he may have tried using counterfeit money at my business as well,” Init said.

Init had never encountered counterfeit currency before and didn’t recognize anything suspicious during the transaction.

“I didn’t file a report. Instead, I treated it as a learning experience,” he said.

He has since purchased a device to help detect counterfeit banknotes.

A similar warning circulated in a St. Catharines Facebook group, where a post alleged that someone attempted to pass counterfeit $50 bills earlier this year while distracting cashiers through conversation.

Police have not confirmed a connection between the online allegations and the Fort Erie complaint.

Gadreau encouraged anyone who suspects they have received counterfeit money to preserve potential evidence and contact NRPS.

“If anyone believes they are the victim of a crime, report it to police,” he said.

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