CHILDERSBURG, Ala. – Counterfeit currency has appeared in Childersburg over the last week.
Janice Grohs is the branch manager of Renasant Bank in Childersburg, and she says some of it made its way into her branch. In the last two weeks Renasant Bank identified four counterfeit bills, including three $20 bills and one $50 bill that was recovered this morning.
“Two or three times each year we see an increase in these occurrences. It starts with the $20 bills and then it will go to $50. Sometimes it skips $50 bills and goes straight to $100,” Grohs said.
Grohs explained when it comes to counterfeit money, it is normally local business owners that get burned in the process. “Many times a store clerk will just look at the front of the bill and it will be handed to them face up, because the front looks like a regular bill. Normally, when it’s busy, people don’t look at the back where you can tell it is a fake.”
Many of the bills, according to Grohs, will clearly be fake if the back is inspected. Often times a bill will say “for motion pictures only” because they were bought online for acting purposes to be used in movies.
Grohs listed a few ways bills should be inspected to determine their authenticity:
- Look at the back
- Many times the front will look real, but the back is clearly fake.
- Feel the bill
- Many times it will just feel different
- Hold the bill up to the light
- Tilt the bill into the light and see if the ink and numbers in the corners change colors. On a current note, the color should change from copper to green.
- A counterfeit pen marker
- This used to be the best way to determine the authenticity of a note, but Grohs said to make sure to use other methods along with the marker. She explained the producers of counterfeit bills have gotten ahead of the game where the pens are not always reliable.
It is paramount business owners check all bills when they receive them, because when they get to the bank, it is normally too late. “The business owners have to take the loss, and we don’t want that for businesses,” Grohs said. “It is so important that their employees know what to look for.”
If you are a local business owner, you can take your money to a Renasant Bank location and they can help identify any counterfeit bills for you. The Renasant Bank branch in Childersburg has brochures to help you uncover a counterfeit bill.
