In Santiago de los Caballeros the Police are warning shoppers and merchants alike to look out for counterfeit RD$2,000 and RD$1,000 peso bills. Listin Diario carries photos of the fake money as well as the real currency. The police have arrested Lorenzo Rosario Rodriguez for trying to exchange false United States currency at an exchange bank and then at the Villa hardware store. The fake Dominican currency lacks the date of issue, the numbers are larger and the different symbols are poorly placed. One of the tricks used in Santiago was to purchase several pre-paid phone cards and pay with the counterfeit money. This happened to one of the women who sell phone cards at the traffic lights along Estrella Sadhala Avenue. Part of the problem is that on the one hand false currency is becoming so common that many merchants are refusing to accept large denomination notes and on the other hand there exists no small amount of confusion because there are actually two different, but legal, versions of the RD$2,000 peso note. This has led to more refusals. The police warn that during the holiday season there is a normal and expected upturn in thievery and other crimes involving property.