PAYNESVILLE, Montserrado – In the wake of reports on social media on Thursday, July 19 about the confiscation of 37 bags of counterfeit Liberian dollars in Paynesville’s Duport Road community, the Liberia National Police has dispelled such rumors.

News about the arrest of a vehicle transporting the counterfeit Liberian banknotes went viral on social media.

Residents in other parts of the country were eager to verify the information and began calling family members and friends in Monrovia.

Moses Carter, the police spokesperson, announced on Thursday at the Information Ministry press conference that the information circulating on social media about police confiscating L$3 million (US$18,750) was “misleading and untrue.”

Carter said any information that has to be released to the public from the police would come from his office or the inspector general.

“Whoever posted such information on social media did not cross check it,” he said.

The police spokesperson emphasized the need for the public to cross-check information before posting on social media.

In June, police in Monrovia arrested a Nigerian clergyman for possessing counterfeit U.S. banknotes which were later followed by the arrest of another Nigerian Ugochukwu Odom aged 30-year-old in Ganta with L$2 million counterfeit Liberian bills.

The arrest of the two men comes at a time of accelerating depreciation of the Liberian dollar against the U.S. dollar, prompting calls on the government to stabilize the economy.

Of late, there has been a public outcry against a supposed proliferation of counterfeit banknotes circulating on the local market. Many Liberians have attributed the worsening economic conditions to a surplus of counterfeit banknotes.

Featured photo by Gbatemah Senah