Fake $50 notes with distinctive blue Asian text are circulating the Border, with offenders targeting busy service stations for their crime.
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Wodonga’s APCO and Caltex service stations have been among the victims of the counterfeit money.
Senior Constable Donna Allen is now warning other business to be on the lookout for dodgy cash.
“It’s probably the fourth we’ve had reported to Wodonga in the past couple of weeks,” she said.
“Usually it’s not being noticed until the count later in the night.”
The counterfeit money reported so far was only $50 notes and police believe they may have been handed over to shop attendants with other notes or during busy times so they would not immediately be noticed.
The latest was handed into police on Sunday night.
“The blue writing should be a dead giveaway,” Senior Constable Allen said.
“They’re still being shipped into circulation.”
She said the symbols were printed over the clear section of the note on both sides, there were lines through the number “50”, no serial number and it felt more like paper than the official plastic notes.
Police were working with service stations to use CCTV footage to identify the offenders.
In the meantime, any service stations or other businesses in Wodonga are being urged to monitor the $50 used during their sales and immediately alert police if they come across any fake notes.
Senior Constable Allen said it would also be helpful to note the registration number of a car they are driving.
The notes circulating Wodonga are similar to $100 notes used at a massage shop in Springvale in September, featuring the same foreign writing and lines through the number.
The suspect at that time was a caucasian man, aged about 25 to 27 years old with a medium build.
Senior Constable Allen said she was unsure if the two sets of counterfeit money were related.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Wodonga police on (02) 6049 2600 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
