Counterfeit $100s (short)

[jjllbb]

Our store got hit by a group that has been bleaching $5 bills and printing $100 bills on the paper.

The print job isn't the best, but if you're not paying attention it does the trick. The color is only slightly off and the bill's texture is a bit different if you're comparing it to a real hundred.

When you hold up the bill to the light though, (as those in the US probably know) there should be a watermark of Benjamin Franklin on the right hand side. Or when you hold it under a security bill checker there is a 3D security thread that identifies it as a hundred.


On the counterfeit ones, when you hold the bill up to the light the watermark is clearly of Abraham Lincoln(the guy on the $5 bill). Plus, the security thread also clearly says "Five dollars".

They only got us for $200 worth but i am SO furious over this.

[MageAkyla]

I hate that. My area got hit with $5's getting turned into $50's. Hit a ton of places over a weekend a few months ago. Luckily for my store they mostly hit fast food places and bigger stores, so I just got a warning from the bank to be on the lookout. The bills were much like you described. Most obvious printing error was the trees on the back looked blobbed more than they should.

[ralerin]

And this is a prime example of you ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS hold the bills up to the light to check instead of just hitting it with the counterfeit pen. ALWAYS.

[Tama]

Of course.

I never used the pen much anyway...haven't found a counterfeit yet, but I know the day I don't look is the day one is found.

[EvilEmpryss]

I went to pay my property tax the other day, and the lady tested my twenty with the pen. I told her I asked her how many times she's gotten counterfeits in the tax office... She's personally seen them twice, and she won't risk accepting one since the money will come out of her pay!

The tax people don't play games.

[Shironu-Akaineko]

Oh gawd, you just reminded me... there's a fake fiver floating in the work's safe.

It's also so painfully obvious to everybody, seeing as it has NO HOLOGRAM WHATSOEVER. I bet if the boss' wife had given me the time to put it up to the light, Laurier's ghost head wouldn't have shown up.

Thing is, she's trying to get one of us to accept it and put it in the till. Because Big Boss told her to. She argued with S (other girl that works with me in the game/movie/music dept) to take it and S categorically refused seeing as it was so fake you could see the crayon.

Then a week or so later as I was fetching change for S, bosswife tried to pass it off to me. I just had the time to give it a crooked look and she said "What, you think it's no good?"

Hell no it's no good, bosswife, there's NO hologram on it!

What does she do? Snatch it away, shoves it in the middle of the pile of fivers and puts it back in the safe!!!

Land's sakes!

[EvilEmpryss]

What does she do? Snatch it away, shoves it in the middle of the pile of fivers and puts it back in the safe!!!

Wait, she's trying to get her employees to pass a counterfeit bill off on her own customers?!?!

I don't know about where you are, but isn't the mere possession of a counterfeit bill a crime? Kinda like possession of drugs: the assumption is that you're going to try to use it. According to the Secret Service website:

Possession of counterfeit United States obligations with fraudulent intent is a violation of Title 18, Section 472 of the United States Code and is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to 15 years, or both.

In Canada, the RCMP say:

Counterfeit Money charges are taken seriously by the Crown prosecutor in Ontario. The possible penalty for a counterfeit possession charge being the same as a charge of making counterfeit money- an accused could face up to fourteen years in prison.
What is the possible punishment for possession, etc., of counterfeit money under the Criminal Code?
Under Section 450., every one who, without lawful justification or excuse, the proof of which lies on him, (a) buys, receives or offers to buy or receive, (b) has in his custody or possession, or (c) introduces into Canada, counterfeit money is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years.

If her intent is to pass it off to a customer, she's committing a crime! If you help her by taking that five and passing it off, then so are you! You may want to direct bosslady to the nearest RCMP station (or vice versa).

[Gaki]

And this is what my safe reader is for. Our safes have a reader that you feed the bills through. If the watermark doesn't comply with the print, the safe rejects it. If the safe won't take it, I won't take it. Of course now that's moot because lately we've been keeping our drawers so low we can't even break a 50...which is pretty bangin' to be honest.

[Shironu-Akaineko]

@evilempryss
I should, because I am so not touching that fiver with a 10 foot pole and neither will S. I did tell her that trying to pass it off will cause us a lot more trouble than losing 5 bucks.

[Hyndis]

I see you're located in the US.

The Secret Service does not mess around with anything! Let them know. Anonymously if you must. Or simply just honestly report the situation to them. They will handle things from there.

[EvilEmpryss]

Shironu-Akaineko, just be careful. If bosslady manages to sneak it past you, and you inadvertently pass it to a customer, it looks like you *might* be held responsible. I would hope not, that the law would understand that you weren't trying to doing anything illegal, but sometimes common sense doesn't come into it when the law is being enforced.

[Magpie]

It's also so painfully obvious to everybody, seeing as it has NO HOLOGRAM WHATSOEVER. I bet if the boss' wife had given me the time to put it up to the light, Laurier's ghost head wouldn't have shown up.

I'd make a comment here that you'd think it would be easier to artificially age a fake old-style bill (there's still a few around), because those were really bad for lack of security features. (Did they even have watermarks?) But apparently there are people stupid enough to accept fakes of the current series bills. (I would assume that you couldn't fake a small number of good $5 bills for less than $5 each).

[BowserKoopa1]

You think that's stupid? Try having a manager who takes the bill when the pen tells you that the bill is counterfeit. But no, they don't want to lose the sale! I guess that's more important to them than the risk of going to jail. And that's the whole point of having those counterfeit pens, right? Well when my manager took it, I told him I was not going to be held responsible if it did turn up counterfeit since he was the dumbass that took it. Of course, since it was my drawer, I guess I could've been legally held responsible. Anyone know?

[Geek King]

I'd make a comment here that you'd think it would be easier to artificially age a fake old-style bill (there's still a few around), because those were really bad for lack of security features. (Did they even have watermarks?)

There were some security features in those old bills, but very few people knew what to look for. I worked in a place that handled a lot of money, so we had a big poster with what to look for. The security features were not as easy to see or obvious as the new bills, though. Probably better for all that they did change them.

[The Electric Fetus]

re: the counterfeit detecting pens.........

Our store got hit by a group that has been bleaching $5 bills and printing $100 bills on the paper.

The print job isn't the best, but if you're not paying attention it does the trick. The color is only slightly off and the bill's texture is a bit different if you're comparing it to a real hundred.

When you hold up the bill to the light though, (as those in the US probably know) there should be a watermark of Benjamin Franklin on the right hand side. Or when you hold it under a security bill checker there is a 3D security thread that identifies it as a hundred.


On the counterfeit ones, when you hold the bill up to the light the watermark is clearly of Abraham Lincoln(the guy on the $5 bill). Plus, the security thread also clearly says "Five dollars".

They only got us for $200 worth but i am SO furious over this.

unless they've changed the formula on the pens some, the detecting pens can be fooled even with legit bills, due to too much starch present.

THE PENS ARE NOT FOOLPROOF!

my 2 cents.