Bakersfield shop warns of counterfeit cash
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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Millions of fake dollars make their way into American hands every year, according to the United States Secret Service, which handles counterfeit money cases.
Kern County sheriff’s detectives said counterfeit cash was used at a Bakersfield boutique called Spoiled Rotten last Saturday. Police said there have been multiple reports of fake bills lately.
Store manager Nicole Bianco said a blond woman came into the store in the early afternoon.
"I was a little suspicious, but since it passed the pen test, I didn't really know what to say back to her in the moment, so I let her carry on with it,” Bianco said. “I gave her back the change, and then it came across that it was fake."
The store’s surveillance video caught the suspect on camera. The store manager said she drove away in a green GMC truck with an extended cab.
The store lost $100 in that transaction. The manager said the store will be upgrading from a counterfeit detector pen to a UV light detector.
The fake $100 bill passed the counterfeit detector pen test, but all the pen does is test for the presence of starch in the paper, something authorities say can easily be faked. What finally tipped the manager off was the texture of the bill.
"The paper felt waxy. It didn't feel like a real hundred dollar bill,” said Bianco. “The back of it looked like she had wet it, but the face was outlined perfectly.”
Police want you to keep an eye on your money, especially your change. If store employees do not notice the fake bills, the funny money could be passed on to you.
If you receive counterfeit money, here are some tips from the Secret Service:
• Do not return it to the passer
• Delay the passer if possible
• Remember the passer's description and his or her license plate number
• Contact the police and U.S. Secret Service field office
• Write your initials and the date in the white border areas of the suspect note
• Limit the handling of the note. Carefully place it in a protective covering, such as an envelope
• Surrender the note or coin only to a properly identified police officer or a U.S. Secret Service special agent
The punishment for making fake money is a fine and/or prison for up to 15 years.
Anyone with information helpful to the Bakersfield boutique case is asked to call the sheriff's office at (661) 861-3110.
Kern County sheriff’s detectives said counterfeit cash was used at a Bakersfield boutique called Spoiled Rotten last Saturday. Police said there have been multiple reports of fake bills lately.
Store manager Nicole Bianco said a blond woman came into the store in the early afternoon.
"I was a little suspicious, but since it passed the pen test, I didn't really know what to say back to her in the moment, so I let her carry on with it,” Bianco said. “I gave her back the change, and then it came across that it was fake."
The store’s surveillance video caught the suspect on camera. The store manager said she drove away in a green GMC truck with an extended cab.
The store lost $100 in that transaction. The manager said the store will be upgrading from a counterfeit detector pen to a UV light detector.
The fake $100 bill passed the counterfeit detector pen test, but all the pen does is test for the presence of starch in the paper, something authorities say can easily be faked. What finally tipped the manager off was the texture of the bill.
"The paper felt waxy. It didn't feel like a real hundred dollar bill,” said Bianco. “The back of it looked like she had wet it, but the face was outlined perfectly.”
Police want you to keep an eye on your money, especially your change. If store employees do not notice the fake bills, the funny money could be passed on to you.
If you receive counterfeit money, here are some tips from the Secret Service:
• Do not return it to the passer
• Delay the passer if possible
• Remember the passer's description and his or her license plate number
• Contact the police and U.S. Secret Service field office
• Write your initials and the date in the white border areas of the suspect note
• Limit the handling of the note. Carefully place it in a protective covering, such as an envelope
• Surrender the note or coin only to a properly identified police officer or a U.S. Secret Service special agent
The punishment for making fake money is a fine and/or prison for up to 15 years.
Anyone with information helpful to the Bakersfield boutique case is asked to call the sheriff's office at (661) 861-3110.
#1 - Always, always rub under the head on the front of the bill to feel for the gritty, sand paper feel. I always used my thumb nail. The grit is course enough to wear down the thumbnail over time. If the bill feels smooth there it is FAKE!
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#2 - By holding up to a light source always, always check to make sure the bill has not been washed/bleached and then reprinted to a larger denomination such is the case of a $5 to a $100. In this case, you will still feel the gritty, sand paper feel as the bill markings have been reprinted onto a real bill. Check the strip and denomination number to make sure they are in the correct positions and match. Never accept a bill without a strip - I don't care how old it looks - unless you're a collector of old money and are willing to outright buy the bill for your personal collection thus putting the risk on you and not the store. If the bill is newer check for the hologram on the number at the bottom right hand corner to change color.
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#3 - Check to see if the serial numbers are lined up/spaced correctly and match (as in the case of torn and taped up bills).
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#4 - Check the color to see if the counterfeit idiot did something like switched the gold and pink (the colors for the $10 and $50). I was handed one like that that was also printed on copy paper by a woman. I ripped up the fake bill right in front of her face and then handed it back to her after asking her but not wanting an answer where the h*ll she got the bill from. >:-[ She claimed - lied - it came from a check cashing place. Yeah, I was suppose to call the law but the line was just too long, as usual. I got more satisfaction out of humiliating her in front of everyone. I really despise anyone trying to scam and/or steal from me!
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As for those bad bill markers, they are mostly a joke. I have seen them mark bad bills as good. By this I mean washed and reprinted bills since the bills are still REAL. They do work great on bills printed on paper other than a real bill. Other than that, it is hit and miss on the laundered then reprinted bills. I can say how in one instance where I was dealing with a $50 bill and I was in an unsafe situation what with it being the middle of the night and I was alone and didn't want to risk a confrontation by keeping the bill while calling the law, I was able to mark the bill as bad, putting it out of circulation, so that he could not pass the bill to the next cashier down the highway.
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Go online to study how to recognize a fake bill. Your boss will be grateful for that! :-)
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I-5 Cashier