Counterfeits keeping Oswego merchants On the Lookout
| Last Update: 12:02 am |
Bosco & Geers cashier Makenzy Bradford has to be alert every time someone pays for their groceries in cash after someone paid with a fake $10 bill last week.
"Especially since it's happened it's always on your mind," Bradford said.
"It used to be 100s, 50s, and 20s that you had to concentrate on. Now it's getting to be where it's 10's and 5's now because crooks are getting pretty smart and they figure that what are the chances that you're going to check a 10 or a 5," said Bosco & Geers owner John Bosco.
And since criminals are starting to use smaller bills, Bradford and her co-workers have to test and check just about every dollar with a special pen before it goes into the drawer .
But the pen won't work on every bill, so cashiers have to look for other things and the reminders of what they need to look for are right at their registers. Bradford says some of the counterfeits are a little thicker than normal bills and narrower in width.
"Unless you're able to find the person who did it and you're able to prosecute and you're able to get the money back, you're out and we're the one's who lose," Bosco said.
The Secret Service says there are a number of things you can look out for to see if the bill is fake. First, look for a watermark on the right-hand side of the bill when holding it up to the light. There should also be a polyester thread embedded in the bill. Finally, the number 10 in the right-hand corner should change colors from copper to green when tilted to a 45-degree angle.
The Oswego Police say the counterfeit bills are popping up in surrounding areas as well.
For more information on counterfeit bills, visit secretservice.gov/KnowYourMoneyApril08.
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