The District warns of increase in counterfeit money
Several Columbia businesses have seen increase in counterfeit $20 bills.
Published May 7, 2009
A warning went out to local businesses about fake $20 bills that were showing up around Columbia.
The District, a group made up of the Columbia Special Business District and the Central Columbia Association, sent out the warning via e-mail April 30 but the search for the counterfeit bills continues.
The e-mail advised business staffs to check the watermarks and currency ribbon by studying the bill under a light source and to use a counterfeit detection marker. The e-mail also stated the markers are available at office supply stores for about $1.50.
Persephone Dakopolos, director of business services at The District, said focus should be directed at particular bills.
"The advice still being given is to examine all bills which seem crisp or new, but paying special attention to $20 bills," she said. "Businesses get the raw end of the deal, obviously. So it's in everyone's best interest to use the detection pens, or a strong light source even when given small bills."
Businesses and the Columbia Police Department report frequent incidents of counterfeit bills.
"We get counterfeit bills all the time," CPD Sgt. Daniel Beckman said. "We go out and collect them and then hand it over to the secret service. It depends on who's doing it and how often they're out spending."
Businesses around Columbia, such as Shakespeare's Pizza, have to watch out for counterfeit bills especially during busy work hours. Shakespeare's manager Andrew Weir said fake bills can pass through when business don't pay attention.
"What they do is they're generally used on very busy weekends," he said. "When something's going on in town they're a lot less likely to get caught."
Weir also said Shakespeare's Pizza uses a counterfeit detection pen to check bills. The pen leaves a different mark on a counterfeit bill than it would on a real bill.
"I remember once there were $5 bills that had been bleached and reprinted as $100s or something, so the paper was the same kind of paper and the pen said they were OK," Weir said.
Mary Wilkerson, Columbia Special Business District Board chairwoman and one of the vice presidents for Boone County National Bank, said fake bills are caught weekly.
"We actually see counterfeit bills quite often, at least once a week," Wilkerson said. "If we know where the deposit came from, we'll go back to the person or business and let them know."
Wilkerson also said the use of counterfeit bills is a severe crime.
"We always, of course, notify the local police," she said. "Counterfeit currency is actually within the jurisdiction of the Secret Service so they are also informed, especially if there are a lot of bills turning up all of a sudden. Bottom line, it's a big-time federal crime."