Newport Police Investigating After Counterfeit Bills Passed at City Businesses

Newport Police Investigating After Counterfeit Bills Passed at City Businesses

NEWPORT — Chief Seth DiSanto reports that the Newport Police Department is investigating after counterfeit bills were passed at two city businesses this week.
At approximately 6:20 a.m., today, a Newport Police officer responded to Cumberland Farms, 535 East Main St., on a report that two fake $20 bills had been passed there by a customer. After conducting a preliminary investigation, the officer determined that the bills were counterfeit.
An officer also responded yesterday to a report that a fake $20 bill had been passed at Maplefields, 273 Main St. The Newport Police Department is investigating both incidents, and cautions merchants to closely scrutinize cash to ensure it isn’t counterfeit.
All three bills had the same serial number, which was MC31793661B.
“I want to remind all of our business owners to take care to confirm the authenticity of any cash they accept,” Chief DiSanto said. “We also hope that anyone who comes across a suspicious bill will let us know so that we can investigate.”
Newport Police are reviewing surveillance footage and are actively investigating the origin of the counterfeit cash.