A real $20 bill compared to a "copy money" $20 bill. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Two Green Bay businesses were recently duped into accepting counterfeit cash. Police say since the beginning of the year, they’ve received nearly a dozen similar complaints.
Just this week, two Brown County businesses took to social media, warning others about recent run ins with counterfeit cash.
Green Bay Police say while these incidents are a concern, they aren’t seeing a trend of these types of crimes increasing.
“So far in 2024 we’ve had 11 reported cases. If we’re going to do a year to date, from this year to last year, this time last year we had 18 reported cases come in. I think we’re seeing it on social media recently and that has business owners a little concerned about the money they’re taking in,” said Communications Coordinator Jennifer Gonzalez.
The most recent incidents serving as a good reminder for businesses owners to check the cash that comes across their counters.
According to Gonzalez, “When you’re handling cash, just be careful. Look at that money, feel that money, do some comparisons. If anything looks off, decline it.”
Some counterfeit cash feels and looks, just like the real thing. That’s what the owner of the Egg Roll Food Truck says happened over the weekend, when one of his staff members accepted this copy cash bill.
Police saying there are steps you can take to see if the bill is a fake, but the recipient is the best line of defense.
Gonzalez said, “Some things aren’t fool proof, right. So that’s why your naked eye might be the best detector that you can use. Holding it up to light, looking for that security thread, looking to see if the colors change at all and again, just looking at that ink. Look for any foreign letters or wording on the bills as well.
And know, if you’re trying to pass copy cash, and get caught, the penalties are severe.
“Knowingly passing a bill that is counterfeit or falsely produced is a felony so it carries some serious consequences along with it,” added Gonzalez.
Police say $20 and $100 bills are the most susceptible to counterfeiting.
And they encourage anyone who may have been duped to report the incident to authorities.
Comments