Bradford National Bank is alerting business owners that they’ve noticed an increase in counterfeit money recently. Randy Alderman, with Bradford, told us an increase in counterfeit bills is not uncommon in the summer months.
“Our customer service reps at Bradford National Bank have found a couple of counterfeit bills in deposits here in the last couple of weeks,” Alderman said. “So we just want to remind businesses that do a lot of cash transactions to be on the lookout for counterfeits. Twenties seem to be the most prominent denomination, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be others. They just need to take good care when they accept cash across the counter.
“Summertime, with people being transient, this money gets scattered all over the country.”
Alderman also shared with us some tips to help you spot a fake bill.
“Anybody who handles a lot of cash will know immediately by the feel of it, because real currency is actually kind of a blend of paper and cloth and counterfeit is mostly a blend of just some kind of paper or fancy stock paper. One of the surefire ways, though, is that all of the new currency – fives, tens, twenties, fifties, and hundreds – they have a hologram in them. If you hold them up to the light, you will see a matching hologram. If you don’t see that hologram, then it’s a counterfeit.”
If you have questions about counterfeit money, contact your banking institution. If you believe you’ve been given counterfeit money, contact your local law enforcement agency.
