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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, for the Second time in as many weeks the Ridgewood police report that on Tuesday, August 18, 2015 the owner of a business in the central business district reported that a customer passed a counterfeit $100 bill at the store.

Earlier in the month on Thursday August 6, 2015 Stop & Shop store security reported a male actor attempted to purchase gift cards valued at $300. utilizing counterfeit $100. bills on August 4 at 11:57 am. When the cashier discovered that the bills were counterfeit the actor fled the store. The actor who was described as a black male in his early to mid 30’s wearing a New York Islanders baseball cap left the area in a silver two door vehicle (unknown New York registration) accompanied by a black female in her late 20’s wearing dark glasses and a kerchief on her head. Both matters are under investigation by the detective bureau.

Recently its been reported that counterfeiters apparently used a technique that involves bleaching legitimate money and altering the bills to look like $100 notes,giving them the feel of real bills . Many businesses use special pens to detect counterfeit currency, however the pens cannot give a definitive confirmation about suspected altered currency, and they are not sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury.

Small business owners need to be aware of the many ways to detect counterfeit money. The Secret Service offers the below methods to detect counterfeit bills:

Hold a bill up to a light and look for a holograph of the face image on the bill. Both images should match. If the $100 bill has been bleached, the hologram will display an image of Abraham Lincoln, who appears on the $5 bills, instead of Benjamin Franklin.
Looking at the bill through a light will also reveal a thin vertical strip containing text that spells out the bill’s denomination.
I’d also like to pass on some tips from the U.S. Treasury:
Color-shifting ink: If you hold the new series bill (except the $5 note) and tilt it back and forth, please observe the numeral in the lower right hand corner as its color shifts from green to black and back.
Watermark: Hold the bill up to a light to view the watermark in an unprinted space to the right of the portrait. The watermark can be seen from both sides of the bill since it is not printed on the bill but is imbedded in the paper.
Security Thread: Hold he bill a light to view the security thread. You will see a thin imbedded strip running from top to bottom on the face of a banknote. In the $10 and $50 the security strip is located to the right of the portrait, and in the $5, $20 and $100, it is located just to the left of the portrait.
Ultraviolet Glow: If the bill is held up to an ultraviolet light, the $5 bill glows blue; the $10 bill glows orange, the $20 bill glows green, the $50 bill glows yellow, and the $100 bill glows red – if they are authentic!
Microprinting: There are minute microprinting on the security threads: the $5 bill has “USA FIVE” written on the thread; the $10 bill has “USA TEN” written on the thread; the $20 bill has “USA TWENTY” written on the thread; the $50 bill has “USA 50” written on the thread; and the $100 bill has the words “USA 100” written on the security thread. Microprinting can be found around the portrait as well as on the security threads.
Fine Line Printing Patterns: Very fine lines have been added behind the portrait and on the reverse side scene to make it harder to reproduce.
Comparison: Compare the feel and texture of the paper with other bills you know are authentic.

If you believe you have received a counterfeit bill, the U.S. Treasury advises you to do the following:

Do not put yourself in danger.
Do not return the bill to the passer.
Delay the passer with some excuse, if possible.
Observe the passer’s description – and their companions’ descriptions – and write down their vehicle license plate numbers if you can.
Contact your local police department or call your local Secret Service office.
Write your initials and date in the white border area of the suspected counterfeit note.
Do not handle the counterfeit note. Place it inside a protective cover, a plastic bag, or envelope to protect it until you place it in the hands of an identified Secret Service Special Agent. You can also mail it to your nearest Secret Service office.

Remember, if you are passed a counterfeit bill, you own it. So when accepting cash, it pays to be knowledgeable about the crime of counterfeiting.