Teenager defrauded with 'closest counterfeit money' after motorbike sale

Macean Francis was excited to hold a bundle of $50 notes in his hand after selling his motorbike.

It marked the start of the 18-year-old's savings fund to buy a more reliable vehicle for the 45-minute commute from his home in Seaforth to his job as an apprentice barber in Mackay.

"I needed that money because I wanted to buy parts to fix up a car," he said.

But his mother, Mel Francis, said elation soon turned to dismay after the buyers drove off with the dirt bike.

While talking with a friend, Mr Francis realised the notes, totalling $2,850, were "millimetres wrong".

"He rang me, and I could tell something wasn't right," Ms Francis said.

"Straight away, as a mother, you think they've had a car accident or something bad, but he goes, 'I don't think the money they paid me is real money.'"

Ms Francis said it was not immediately obvious the roll of $50 notes was fake until they were compared with genuine notes.

When the notes were handed to police, they told Mr Francis it was the "closest counterfeit money they've ever seen".

Most counterfeit notes imported

Police said the fake 50s had been circulating in Mackay, the Whitsundays and Darling Downs since February.

Officer in charge of the Mackay Whitsunday Police District, Superintendent Dean Cavanagh, said more counterfeit money was being brought into the region.

"Often it's one or two $50 notes; generally you won't see more than $3,000," he said.

In 2025, 9,277 Queensland crimes were categorised as "other fraud", which included counterfeit currency offences.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) was broadly critical of the "low quality" of counterfeits generally but warned they could "pass a cursory inspection".

Superintendent Cavanagh said the presence of counterfeit notes generally "goes through waves".

"We will have no counterfeit notes for an extended period, but they won't just [print] one note."

The RBA warned there had been an increase in counterfeit note importations.

In a statement, the bank said the majority of counterfeits detected in the past year were produced overseas.

It previously warned improvements in 3D-printing technology were making it easier for counterfeiters to copy some security features in polymer notes.

It said the texture was one of the best ways to check a note's authenticity, with counterfeits often feeling smoother.

Motorbike recovered

Police recovered the motorbike on July 3 at a property in Armstrong Beach, south of Mackay, and charged a 48-year-old woman with possessing counterfeit money, fraud and possession of methylamphetamine.

They allege a search of the property also uncovered two other stolen vehicles and said a "small quantity of counterfeit currency was located".

Ms Francis said the $450 fee to have the motorbike released from a towing company's yard was too much.

"We ended up paying because the longer they have it in their holding yard, the fee goes up," she said.

"Obviously they don't want us to know the address of where the bike was located, but [they could] give us an option."

Despite the tough lesson about using online marketplaces, Mr Francis said he had already listed a dinghy for sale.

"I'm definitely going to be a bit wary, get a receipt and have them sign their name," he said.