Take note: fakes in circulation

– Sarah Schwager
POLICE have warned shop owners to keep a close eye on money they are given as counterfeit notes begin to circulate again in Hallam, Hampton Park and Cranbourne.
Cranbourne Police have reported a spate of counterfeit $50 notes changing hands recently.
Counterfeit money was found at Subway and a service station in Hallam, a milk bar in Clairmont Avenue, Cranbourne, and Safeway in Hampton Park.
Detective Senior Constable Larry Grimshaw from Cranbourne CIU said small businesses in particular needed to be mindful of money they received.
“Make sure you are happy with the notes you receive and check to make sure they look real,” he said.
Police have already interviewed two people who were arrested after they tried to purchase cigarettes from a Cranbourne milk bar.
Police said the owner of the store questioned the notes they gave him before they ran off and got in a car.
The owner then alerted police and identified the car.
A 34-year-old Merbein man and a 35-year-old Hampton Park man will appear before Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 30 November charged with using counterfeit $50 notes.
Anyone who notices someone using counterfeit money should contact police immediately.