Saline Police urge business owners to watch for counterfeit bills
Saline Police are encouraging business owners to be on the lookout after taking two reports of counterfeit $10 bills since the end of July.
In the first incident, a woman tried to make a purchase at CVS Pharmacy, 413 E. Michigan Ave., and a watchful cashier said her bill seemed suspicious.
The woman brought the bill to Saline Police July 30, and an officer was unable to locate any watermarks or security threads. The officer brought the bill to a local bank, where tellers confirmed it appeared to be fake.
The bill will be transferred to the U.S. Secret Service in Detroit for review, police said.
According to an incident report, the woman told police the bill was likely given to her as change at one of four Saline businesses where she recently made purchases.
Detective Don Lupi said counterfeit bills often are passed among unknowing recipients without much thought—something that can happen in the process of making a quick purchase and walking out the door.
“It goes in cycles,” he said. “We are working with the U.S. Secret Service and continuing to investigate.”
A Dairy Queen manager came to police in August with what appeared to be a second suspicious bill.
The manager of the business at 400 E. Michigan Ave. said an employee received it Aug. 3 as payment for a purchase from a customer she knew. A later inspection raised the manager’s suspicions, and he had it examined at a local bank before turning it over to police.
Police interviewed the customer, who said she recalled getting the bill—which had a slight rip in the paper— several weeks ago from an Arby’s restaurant in Ann Arbor.
Lupi encouraged employees of businesses in Saline and surrounding areas to be on the lookout and exercise caution—actions that are always important to take, he said.
“If you just pay extra attention when you receive money, usually it’s an obvious fake just by the physical looks,” Lupi said. “Usually through the color or the amount of detail in the print you can automatically tell it’s a fake.”
Anyone with information or suspicions of counterfeit items is asked to contact Detective Lupi at (734) 429-7911 or email dlupi@cityofsaline.org.
Heidi Fenton covers police and courts for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heidifenton@annarbor.com or 734-623-4673. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
Ricebrnr
Sat, Aug 13, 2011 : 10:11 p.m.
To paraphrase a popular book Give them a pen and protect them until the ink runs out. Teach them what to look for and protect them for a lifetime.
grimmk
Sat, Aug 13, 2011 : 4:36 a.m.
And this is why we use the counterfeit pens at work on $10, $20, $50 and $100...
Gorc
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 10:29 p.m.
It's easy to identify a counterfeit bill....just take a Bic lighter and hold the flame as closely you can to the presidents face (I know not all denominations have presidents on them). If his face starts to glow, then it's a fake.
OLDTIMER3
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 5:32 p.m.
I used to work with a man that even when he bought a coffee from a machine he would pull out his little book and right it down. The date time and amount.He did this with everything he bought.
RJA
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 5:04 p.m.
I will be watching for these bills, I do a lot of shopping in Saline.
nickcarraweigh
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 3:31 p.m.
A counterfeit $10 bill hardly seems worth the trouble.
Out-of-Towner
Sat, Aug 13, 2011 : 3:52 a.m.
Exactly what the counterfeiter was thinking...
dogpaddle
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 3:20 p.m.
My concern is, what if the sharp aware DQ employee had not caught the bogus bills and then handed them to another innocent customer as change? Like others have said on here, I might not remember where all I receive change from. And typically the majority of my cash transactions involve the farmers' markets. What would I say, "I got this from someone selling tomatoes in August at the farmers' market"?
Technojunkie
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 2:19 p.m.
<a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Detect-Counterfeit-US-Money" rel='nofollow'>http://www.wikihow.com/Detect-Counterfeit-US-Money</a> Easiest way, for me, is to look for the security thread. Hold the bill up to a light and look for a narrow strip running across the width. If your eyes are good and the bill isn't too worn you can read the denomination printed on the thread. All bills $5 and up should have them somewhere in the bill. Sometimes counterfeiters will bleach $5 bills and print $20s, etc so just seeing the thread isn't foolproof but it's enough to stop your average crook with a color printer. With people using credit cards for just about everything it makes sense that the occasional cash transaction could stand out in their minds.
Ricebrnr
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 2:09 p.m.
Oh brother, you'd think adding some links to the story regarding WHAT to watch out for would be helpful... No need for pens or UV lights, just your eyes, fingers and brains.. <a href="http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml" rel='nofollow'>http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml</a> <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Detect-Counterfeit-US-Money" rel='nofollow'>http://www.wikihow.com/Detect-Counterfeit-US-Money</a> jeez
sheeple
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 1:31 p.m.
A word of advice to worried consumers: Charlie Sheen does not appear on any U.S. currency.
actionjackson
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 12:59 p.m.
No need to go to a bank with bills. Pens are available for about $10 that will show a different color on counterfit. Use them when taking cash on larger bills for payments on a used car, motorcycle, or any transaction involving cash payment.
xmo
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 12:39 p.m.
Just another idea. The way the Obama Administration is printing money maybe the Government presses cannot keep up and they are outsourcing the printing of money to keep up with demand.
Chip Reed
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 12:15 p.m.
Only the Federal Reserve is allowed to print up fake money.
Homeland Conspiracy
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 9:21 p.m.
To true
Buster W.
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 11:56 a.m.
jwally I think your hunch that it's an 'innocent teenager' is completely correct. That was me as a kid. But why would your cardiologist like 'simpler days'? He/she would be out of business.
Buster W.
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 12:24 p.m.
jwally Good point!
jwally
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 12:14 p.m.
Buster W. Good point. Unless Dr. him/her is also a patient and missing all the old goodies.
jwally
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 11:12 a.m.
The Saline Dairy Queen customer recalled they received the bogus $10 bill "two weeks ago" at Arby's in Ann Arbor? I can't speak for the rest of society, but it seems every time I turn around another $20 bill is flying out of my hand. Aside from an ATM, I can't remember where most of my last paper cash, or change for that cash, came from or went. Maybe I live in my own vacuum. Seems suspicious. Or: Maybe the Dairy Queen customer with the bogus bill is an innocent teenager who counts and remembers every penny they have earned or spent? Like I used to do when I was that age. Arby's and Dairy Queen? Sigh..... both I and my Cardiologist miss those simpler days.