COUNTERFEIT $50 notes are circulating in Bendigo and police have warned shop keepers to keep their eye out for anyone using them.
There has been a "surge" in the number of reports made to police in the last two months, Acting Sergeant Rod McDowell said.
"They (the counterfeits) have a pretty good resemblance to real notes, but the print work can be a bit smudgy in some areas," he said.
Shop keepers should look for smudges and a line roughly half-a-centemetre from the note's clear window, Acting Sergeant McDowell said.
"Multiple serial numbers are being used," he said.
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"People are not targetting any specific stores but employers should remind staff to be on the look out when $50 and $100 dollar purchasers are coming through shops.
"If any do come in, don't accept the money, obviously. But we'd like people to secure any CCTV footage of the store and contact police."
About $1.7 million worth of counterfeits were detected in circulation around the country in the 2017/18 financial year, According to the Reserve Bank of Australia.
The most common suspect banknote was the $50 bill, with 15,351 worth $767,550 detected.
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Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
