Bizarre counterfeit cash circulated in Leamington

Essex County OPP are warning the public that counterfeit cash has recently been changing hands in the Leamington area — and it’s obvious.

On Tuesday, police issued images of a fake bill that resembles a Canadian $20 bill, but has large Chinese letters printed on both sides.

According to investigators, several of these bills have been passed.

“These particular bank notes are more noticeably counterfeit, having additional written language prominently displayed on either side of the bills,” OPP said in a release.

Aside from the Chinese characters, the bad bills are distinguishable from real money by their lack of transparencies and metallic elements.

The bills resemble a Canadian version of what’s called “hell money” — a form of joss paper, or paper notes that are ritually burned in large quantities for the ancestral dead as part of Chinese superstition.

“Hell money” is most often burned during Chinese funerals and on ancestors’ birthdays — but it can also be burned during important holidays and festivals, such as the Lunar New Year.

Amazon.ca sells “hell money” that looks like U.S. currency at a price of $6.99 for a pack of 80 bills.

Anyone who finds more of this currency is asked to call OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Anonymous tips can be made via Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 or www.catchcrooks.com. A closer look at one of the $20 bills that OPP say was passed in the Leamington area in February 2019. A closer look at one of the $20 bills that OPP say was passed in the Leamington area in February 2019.