Saint Lucians are upset over the recent circulation of fake EC$50 bills around the island and are asking the authorities to look into the issue, with the hope of them helping to resolve it.

A woman by the name of Thomas Kashia-Sinus, who is reportedly a victim, wrote on St. Lucia Aiming For Progress (SLAP) Facebook page, expressing her disgust with the situation and issuing a warning to persons.

Sinus said, “Look out for these counterfeit EC$50 notes. We got 3 of them at an event on Thursday night. However because of alert staff and good policing, we were able to catch the culprit.” Sinus also suggested that shop keepers and bar owners should get money counters that have the ability to detect counterfeit bills in order to have extra security in case other bills come into circulation.

The woman believes that there might be many more fake EC$50 circulating across the island, something that has happened in the past.

“If you drop water on it, it runs and where the foil would usually be, it’s just grey. They all have the same serial number (SN183954). Don’t let a struggling business person loose in these times,” she added.

Another woman, Marlyn Francis, said: “Counterfeit money is bad for the economy. When an outside source starts introducing money into an economy the government can’t regulate, and that will drive up prices and it will ruin the economy especially on a small island like St Lucia.”

Meanwhile, Adam E. Azaire commented saying, “Persons also should be especially vigilant at nights and busy business periods, as visibility and focus would be the least. They should also be wary of those who might try to rush them for change, especially with these larger bills and during peak business periods.”

Another person claims that he too was scammed, but said his bogus EC$50 had a different serial number.

It was revealed that fake Eastern Caribbean dollars are allegedly being sold on Ebay (U.K) and these fake currency have been in constant circulation in almost all the Eastern Caribbean states.

Several persons here are afraid that they might have already been scammed.

The Police Press Office could not confirm whether the Force has received any official reports on this matter.