LINGAYEN – The police are now tracking down a big dollar counterfeit ring in Metro Manila following the circulation of eight fake 100 dollar bills here by one of their members just before All Saints Day.

Suspect in the fake dollar passing was a certain Marlo Balan, a native of barangay Calabeng in Bani and a resident of Fort Bonifacio in Metro Manila who gifted her relatives with the fake U.S. money when he came for a vacation recently.

Relatives pointed to him as the source the counterfeits which they only discovered to be fake when they tried to change these into Philippine peso at a money changing shop inside Nepo Mart in Alaminos City.

Four of the counterfeit bills escaped the eyes of the attendant of the money changing shop, so she changed these for P19,840 at about 12 noon of November 1. The counterfeit bills looked like the original and the attendant did not suspect anything amiss.

When one Angelina La Guardia, 58, went to the money changing shop 15 minutes later to have her 100 dollar bill changed too, she was told that what she was changing was a counterfeit.

All these were turned over to the Alaminos City police, where four more fake 100 dollar bills were surrendered by Jesus Camba of barangay Tiep, Bani; and his relative Wilma Camba, 46, of barangay Calabeng, Bani.

Jesus Camba surrendered one fake 100 dollar bill while Wilma Camba also surrendered three other fake 100 dollar bills which she confessed were given as gift by their nephew, Marlo Balan.

Balan arrived for a brief vacation in Bani from Metro Manila before All Saints Day.

The suspect is believed to be a member of a syndicate engaged in printing dollar bills. He, however, managed to escape to Metro Manila when police went looking for him at his relative’s homes in Bani.

The police appealed to all other persons who may have also received the counterfeit dollar bills from Balan to also surrender these so they would not be in trouble soon. (PNA)