Fake $50 bills making the rounds in Kelowna

Photo: Frances Callaghan

One of the organizers of the Kelowna Farmer's Market is warning Okanagan vendors and local businesses to be on the lookout for fake fifties.

Market co-ordinator Frances Callaghan tells Castanet she came across a counterfeit Canadian $50 bill after the July 7, 2021 market in Kelowna.

"As soon as I saw it I knew it was counterfeit."

Callaghan says she has experience with counterfeit cash through different industry jobs and while she says the bill looked good from afar, it was far from good.

"The back only had one serial number, all bills have two and in the hologram, instead of saying 50 it said five and it wasn't cut straight," Callaghan says.

Callaghan has reported the incident to RCMP and they have asked her to track which vendors receive large denomination bills, like $50's.

"They come in with a $50 and buy something for $5, we give them back $45 and they just made $45 off a vendor."

For more information check the Bank of Canada counterfeit page.