Police Work On Counterfeit Bill Education
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Daniel [email protected]
Wendy's recently was targeted with counterfeit bills.
The incidents of bogus money has increased in the area, though currently the Warsaw Police Department is working on only two such cases.[[In-content Ad]]WPD Detective Lee Ann Richardson, along with Goshen Police Department's Alan Mackowiak, were at Wendy's as well as the National City Bank in Warsaw, located off U.S. 30, to provide information on counterfeit bills.
Mackowiak said Elkhart County has seen a rash of counterfeit cases.
Mackowiak and Richardson reiterated to the employees that it's important to mark bills with a counterfeit mark as well as have up signage that lets potential scam artists know that the business is one on the lookout for bad money.
Mackowiak said there are some obvious ways to tell if a bill is a forgery.
First of all, money printed by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, a part of the U.S. Department of Treasury, has ink that doesn't run. If a good bill goes through a washing machine, the ink on it won't run.
Mackowiak and Richardson said one of the easiest ways to tell if a bill is good or not is to "check the vest."
On a bill, the garment or vest of the president on the bill is raised. The consistency of that part of the bill has a scaly feel to it.
The officers said that counterfeiters are becoming more sophisticated in the ways they try and make fake bills.
"It's important to mark the bills and let people know that your business is on the lookout for counterfeit bills," said Mackowiak. "That's a big deterrent."
Mackowiak said many businesses in Elkhart County are no longer accepting $50 and $100 bills. Also, businesses are buying blacklights to inspect bills. Businesses are also within their rights to refuse a bill if they believe it to be a fake.
"If you think a bill is a fake, have them go to the bank and change it out," said Mackowiak.
Other steps to follow when checking the legitimacy of a bill are:
- Feel the texture of a bill. Most people who handle a lot of money can identify a lower-quality fake bill.
- Compare the bill with another bill.
- Look carefully at the printing quality.
- Look for colored strands in the paper.
- Hold it up and look at the watermark.
- Examine the serial numbers. Make sure the numbers are a match. Fake bills may not have evenly spaced numbers or perfectly in a row.
Richardson said businesses that are interested in learning more about counterfeiters or want signage to put in their stores can e-mail her at [email protected]
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Wendy's recently was targeted with counterfeit bills.
The incidents of bogus money has increased in the area, though currently the Warsaw Police Department is working on only two such cases.[[In-content Ad]]WPD Detective Lee Ann Richardson, along with Goshen Police Department's Alan Mackowiak, were at Wendy's as well as the National City Bank in Warsaw, located off U.S. 30, to provide information on counterfeit bills.
Mackowiak said Elkhart County has seen a rash of counterfeit cases.
Mackowiak and Richardson reiterated to the employees that it's important to mark bills with a counterfeit mark as well as have up signage that lets potential scam artists know that the business is one on the lookout for bad money.
Mackowiak said there are some obvious ways to tell if a bill is a forgery.
First of all, money printed by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, a part of the U.S. Department of Treasury, has ink that doesn't run. If a good bill goes through a washing machine, the ink on it won't run.
Mackowiak and Richardson said one of the easiest ways to tell if a bill is good or not is to "check the vest."
On a bill, the garment or vest of the president on the bill is raised. The consistency of that part of the bill has a scaly feel to it.
The officers said that counterfeiters are becoming more sophisticated in the ways they try and make fake bills.
"It's important to mark the bills and let people know that your business is on the lookout for counterfeit bills," said Mackowiak. "That's a big deterrent."
Mackowiak said many businesses in Elkhart County are no longer accepting $50 and $100 bills. Also, businesses are buying blacklights to inspect bills. Businesses are also within their rights to refuse a bill if they believe it to be a fake.
"If you think a bill is a fake, have them go to the bank and change it out," said Mackowiak.
Other steps to follow when checking the legitimacy of a bill are:
- Feel the texture of a bill. Most people who handle a lot of money can identify a lower-quality fake bill.
- Compare the bill with another bill.
- Look carefully at the printing quality.
- Look for colored strands in the paper.
- Hold it up and look at the watermark.
- Examine the serial numbers. Make sure the numbers are a match. Fake bills may not have evenly spaced numbers or perfectly in a row.
Richardson said businesses that are interested in learning more about counterfeiters or want signage to put in their stores can e-mail her at [email protected]
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