Police advise to watch out for counterfeit bills

A few $100 and $20 bills have turned up in Wrangell, prompting police to caution businesses and everyone else to look for phonies.

The fakes look real enough in design and color - except for the words "COPY MONEY" on the front and back in the same typestyle as "THE UNITED STATES."

The counterfeits were reported in the last week of November.

"Currently, there are reports of $20 bills and $100 bills ... possibly being circulated around the community, but there could be other denominations," the police department reported in a notice issued by the borough.

The source of the counterfeits is unknown. Someone in town could have unknowingly received the bills as change on a cash purchase while out of town, stuffing them into their wallet and bringing them into Wrangell, Police Chief Tom Radke said Nov. 30. If the fake is mixed in between two or three bills, "people aren't going to see that," he said.

Though the phonies might seem obvious to people who look, not everyone takes the time to examine every bill handed to them, Radke said. "Put yourself in the spot of an 18-year-old, a 16-year-old who is manning the register," and who is not familiar with looking for counterfeits or how to spot them.

Wrangell doesn't see a lot of phony money, the chief said. "There was some early in the summer," just a couple of bills.

Anyone who finds they have a counterfeit bill should bring it to the police department or call 907-874-3304 if they have any questions. "We need to recover them," Radke said, forwarding the bills to the U.S. Secret Service, which analyses and tracks fake money nationwide, looking for trends and possible charges.

Technically, passing a counterfeit bill could be a crime, but the Secret Service is looking for the criminals who print and distribute the money, not the people who unknowingly are a victim.

Individuals and businesses who find a phony bill in their wallet or till are stuck with the loss.