Counterfeit Traveler’s Check Alert

Fake Visa Traveler’s Checks are circulating in Santa Barbara’s retail corridors, the Downtown Organization announced at 3 p.m. today. Police said that the counterfeits are of “very high quality,” and most of them are in denominations of $500. People have tried to cash the checks at local banks, but police warned that they may also try to use them in restaurants or stores, and recommended that merchants call Visa to verify the Traveler’s Checks before accepting them.