Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Male Charged with Theft

28-year old Daniel Miller of 222 Albert Street East was yesterday afternoon by security staff working at Rome’s located on Great Northern Road. It is alleged that the accused attempted to steal $200 worth of steak and lobster tails. Mr. Miller was on probation at the time of this offence. The accused has been charged with one count of theft under $5,000 and 2 counts of breach of probation. He will appear in court on May 30th.

Break and Enter

Yesterday City Police received a report that a home in the 100 block of Tuckett Street had been entered. Thieves made off with jewellery. If you know who is responsible for this break and enter contact Crime Stoppers at 942-7867.

Counterfeit Money

In 2004 over 550,000 counterfeit notes were passed with a value of $13 million. Counterfeiting is a serious crime that has a financial impact on Canadians and their businesses. Having, using, or making counterfeit money is an indictable offence and is punishable up to 14 years in prison.

Police agencies and the Bank of Canada are working together to inform Canadians about bank note security. It is a good habit to check you’re notes-just as you count your change. You protect yourself and eliminate opportunities for counterfeiters. In recent years $10 and $20 notes have been the most counterfeited.
Some ways to verify a genuine bank note.

Tilt the bill:

-new $20, $50, and $100 (and $10 in May of this year) all have a holographic stripe with colours that change through the various shades of the rainbow. There is a colour-split within each maple leaf. The security thread on the back of the note shifts from gold to green.

Look at the bill:

-all bills have fine-line patterns. Observe the sharp, well-defined lines that make up the background patterns of the note and the facial features of the portrait, especially the concentric circles of the eyes.
-does the colour of the bill you are looking at look similar to other bills?
-serial numbers are unique. They are different on each bill.
-all bills have micro-printing: tiny, distinct words that never appear blurry in the background patterns of the bill. One the new $20, for example, the text “vingt 20 twenty” is printed in small, clear characters in the diagonal lines to the left of the portrait. Text to the right of the Centre Block of Parliament becomes smaller but remains clear and sharp.

Look through the bill:

-new $20, $50, and $100 (and $10 in May of 2005) have a watermark portrait, top to bottom woven security thread, and see-through number (marks that come together like a jigsaw puzzle to form a perfect number 10, 20, 50 or 100) that become fully visible when the bill is held up to a light or window.

What to do with a suspected counterfeit bill:

-keep the note if possible, don’t put yourself at risk
-record the details of the bill (denomination, serial number, etc)
-record all details about the circumstances and the person(s) who gave you the note (i.e. time, context, description of the person(s), licence plate number of vehicle, etc.)
-contact your local Police Services

Remember that someone passing a counterfeit note might not be aware of it. He or she could be an innocent victim of crime. Just because the bill is suspect doesn’t mean that the person who is passing it is a suspect.

The City Police have a dedicated Fraud Unit that investigates complaints of this type. For more information or questions regarding counterfeit money, contact the Sault Ste, Marie Police Service at 949-6300.