Local

Officials warn businesses of fake $100 bills in circulation

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is warning businesses to be careful about taking $100 bills for purchases of gift cards or other items.

“Numerous bills have been taken worth thousands of dollars in lost revenue due to very good quality counterfeit $100 bills. We believe that individuals are making the counterfeit money and using homeless people to go in stores and get the gift cards using the counterfeit money,” Criminal Investigations Unit Capt. Tim Johnson said.

Many of the bills are in the 2006 year series and have fooled the quick-check counterfeit-checking pens used at checkout lines and some banks. The $100 bills recently passed in Lincoln County could only be confirmed when the pen was pressed down firmly against the bills.

Johnson suggests getting $100 bills examined at a bank to verify they are real.  Then use the real currency to compare to any presented at your business. You can also do the following:

  • Feel the texture of the paper.  Counterfeit money will feel distinctly different.  Authentic money is made from cotton and linen.
  • Notice the thinness of the bill.  Genuine money is often thinner than counterfeit.
  • Hold the bills up to the light.  If you can see the security strip in the bill without holding it up to light, it most likely is counterfeit.
  • Check for other things on the bill using a black light to look at security threads and check for watermarks (hologram images) by holding the bill up to a light.

Since Friday, individuals have attempted or passed counterfeit $100 bills at three businesses in eastern Lincoln County.

On Friday, a person tried to pass the fake currency at Walgreens on Highway 73 but was denied because management had been alerted to the scam by other Walgreens stores.

The same day the man purchased two $500 gift cards at Rite Aid on Business Highway 16 but was apprehended by sheriff’s deputies at a nearby fast food restaurant.  On Tuesday, a woman purchased two $500 gift cards at Dollar General on Business Highway 16.  The thief got away and the fake money was not discovered until it was taken to the bank for deposit.

Anyone with information about counterfeit bills or other crimes is asked to contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 704-732-9050 or Crime Stoppers at 704-736-8909.