Police investigating spate of fake currency scams on Sunshine Coast

A Sunshine Coast family has fallen victim to a brazen counterfeit cash scam in a Facebook marketplace sale.

Counterfeit money given to the family

A Sunshine Coast family has been the victim of a brazen counterfeit cash scam that has sparked a police investigation and left them $1500 out of pocket.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman said police were investigating after counterfeit $100 and $50 notes were used in a private sale in Bli Bli last week.

A man exchanged ten counterfeit $100 notes and ten counterfeit $50 notes for electronic goods at 6.30pm on April 10.

Yvette Leet witnessed the $1500 transaction between the man and her son, Zac Green, who was selling his iPad, mouse, pen and keyboard on Facebook marketplace.

Yvette and Chris Leet.

She said her son, in his 20s, was just trying to get some extra cash as he had just moved back to the coast and was staying with his parents who are long-time locals.

“Zac, my husband Chris, and I were all sitting on the patio about 6.30pm when he showed up and counted out the cash in front of us,” she said.

The man said he had his wife and kids in the car, and Mrs Leet described him as “trustworthy”.

“He handed the cash to my son first and he handed over the items and by the time the man got back in the car and left, I had this odd feeling,” she said.

Mrs Leet had a look at some of the notes and they immediately didn’t feel right to her.

“It was when I tore the corner of one that I knew for sure it was fake.”

They made a police report and officers seized the fake notes for investigation.

She said the ordeal was disheartening and disappointing as her family were trusting people and never expected someone to scam them to their face while seeming “so nice and confident”.

“We are very aware of online scammers, never would we have thought someone would come to our front door and fool us with fake cash,” Mrs Leet said.

Counterfeit money that Zac Green received.

Zac’s mum said it was a blow to his trust, as it was his first Facebook marketplace transaction.

“We’ve had mixed emotions from anger to embarrassment to actually quite panicky as that guy has been messaging me the last few days after I got in touch with police and put the word out on Facebook,” she said.

“He keeps saying he’ll bring the iPad and stuff back and he didn’t know the money was fake but he never turns up.”

This has been a major cause of anxiety for Mrs Leet as the man knows where her family lives.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman said inspections of the counterfeit notes show all $100 notes had the same serial number and all $50 notes had the same serial number.

Mrs Leet said police told her they believed the perpetrator has been running similar scams all the way from the Gold Coast up to the Sunshine Coast as the serial numbers from the fake notes seized in other reported incidents all match.

Mrs Leet thinks the decline of use of cash in recent years may have emboldened these scammers, especially to target young people.

As people handle less and less cash, they may be less practised or aware of the signs of forgeries, making them more vulnerable to scammers, who in turn can get away with less detailed fakes.

Last month, police warned the public that they were investigating after counterfeit $100 notes were used at businesses on the Sunshine Coast.

A man attempted to exchange a counterfeit $100 note for two $50 notes at a business on David Low Way, Bli Bli about 4pm on February 26.

Police received a second report of a man attempting to pay for an item using a counterfeit $100 note at a business on Venning Street, Mooloolaba about 5.15pm the same day.

The Queensland Police Service spokesman said they encouraged anyone transacting in large notes to be vigilant.

Residents and businesses are urged to show care when handling notes and report any suspicious circumstances as soon as possible.

Fake $100 note

An example of a counterfeit note provided by police shows it to be printed in poor quality, have no window and clearly states ‘COPY’ on the right hand side.

“People may try to present these to businesses during a busy time, or they may ask for the note to be exchanged for smaller notes,” the spokesman said.

“If you suspect that someone is handing you counterfeit notes, you can refuse to accept it, as long as it is safe to do so.”

“If you come across a banknote that you suspect is counterfeit, take the following steps.

“Handle the suspect banknote as little as possible and store it in an envelope.

“Note any relevant information, such as how it came into your possession.

“Report the matter immediately to State or Federal police.”

For more information on identifying counterfeit notes please follow the link: https://banknotes.rba.gov.au/counterfeit-detection/counterfeit-detection-guide