CHILDERSBURG, Ala. – Counterfeit bills have been in circulation in the city of Childersburg.
Renasant Bank of Childersburg branch manager Janice Grohs told SylacaugaNews.com she has identified counterfeit $50 bills being circulated in Childersburg and said she wants to warn local retailers and citizens.
She said the front of the bills her bank has come across legitimately appear to be authentic, but the backside of the bills are not. “The front of these bills look good, but when you look at the back of the bill you will see that it’s counterfeit.”
She said when the front of the bills look so authentic most retailers do not check the other side when cash is exchanged. “We have so many young people working in these retail stores and they are hurrying to get a transaction done,” she said. “We just want to let the community know it needs to check the bills.”
There are many ways to designate a bill as counterfeit according to Grohs. She said the most common way to determine if a bill is a fraud is by using a fraud detector pen. These pens can be bought almost anywhere. After marking the bill, the markings should turn yellow if the bill is genuine and black if phony. However, Grohs said the pens did not reflect that the bill was fake in this instance.
Other methods include holding the bill up to the light to see the red and blue threads, checking all the markings on the bills, and making sure the faces on the bill match the denomination.
“If you are used to handling money this may be easy for you, but if you aren’t it can be difficult,” she said.
Instances of counterfeit money are not unusual. Grohs said fraudulent bills surface all the time, and all people can do is turn them in and keep them from continued circulation.
In the end, stopping the circulation of fake money comes down awareness. “If you are a store owner or manager you need to make sure you are meeting with the staff, giving them the information they need to look for,” Grohs said.
Grohs said her bank, as well as many others, can always help identify counterfeit bills.
