Police chief warns traders in NCotabato town vs fake bills

KIDAPAWAN CITY— The North Cotabato police appealed to store owners and traders in the province's Matalam town to be cautious in receiving P1000 or P500-bill payments as these might be counterfeit. Police chief Inspector Benjamin Mauricio claimed on Sunday that two store owners in Matalam town public market had complained receiving fake P1000 bills from their customers. “We appeal to our constituents and business owners to be more vigilant in order not to become victim of this kind of modus operandi," Mauricio said in an interview. Also, he said they received information that a syndicate using fake bills is victimizing owners of small business establishments in the town area. “These counterfeit bills were allegedly used by unidentified customers in paying their purchased merchandise" Mauricio said, adding that business owners in the area to have a money detector machine. “This is the only gadget that could help you (businessmen) in determining fake bills," he said. The chief of police feared that more counterfeit bills might in circulation in some areas in North Cotabato, especially with the onset of the election fever. In a raid ont a lodging house in Kidapawan City last December, police yielded fake P1000 bills amounting P23, 000. Mauricio was the deputy director for intelligence and operations of the Kidapawan City police during that raid, which was done shortly before he was assigned as chief of police in Matalam town. The raiding team however failed to arrest the suspects, but instead recovered a brown envelop containing fake P1000 bills. Mauricio also appealed to lodging house owners in North Cotabato to cooperate by simply reporting to the nearest police office any suspicious person or group checking in their respective lodging houses. - LBG, GMANews.TV