IN ALMOST THE BLINK of an eye, a newspaper vendor picked up that he had been given a counterfeit $20.
But equally as fast, the man who defrauded him was gone with the change.
Wayne Linton, who sells newspapers in the area of the Police Boys’ and Girls’ Club on Bay Street, St Michael, had the harrowing experience last Friday around 7:15 a.m.
A customer came up on the opposite side of the street and bellowed to Linton that he wanted a newspaper and to bring change from $20.
Linton quickly manoeuvred through the traffic to ensure he made the sale to the motorcyclist seemingly heading out of The City. He quickly handed over the WEEKEND NATION and the change while he took the money from the customer.
“When I looked at the money I immediately recognised it was not genuine. I said, ‘No, this is mock money’, but by the time I called out he was gone.
“He turned around and zigzagged through the traffic and went back down Bay Street,” Linton said of the encounter which he noted took place very quickly.
The vendor said that as someone dealing with money on a daily basis, he knew what to look for almost immediately on handling the money.
He added that the real legal tender not only looked different but also had a different feel.
“This one is a computer fake,” he said.
The vendor added that while he did not get a good look at the man’s face, he knew the motorcyclist had “a helmet with pretty design on it”, had a blue haversack and could be around five feet, five inches tall.
A bemused Linton said he felt that the matter ought to be highlighted since he would not like innocent people to be deceived by this fraudster or any others.
“These are hard times and I do not want other people to be negatively affected,” Linton declared, promising to give the police full details. (ES)
