Lake County merchants warned of counterfeit bills

Law enforcement officials in Lake County are warning merchants of a counterfeit scam that is working its way through the suburbs.

Wauconda Police Chief Doug Larsson said counterfeiters have recently discovered a way to change $1 and $5 bills into $50 and $100 bills, thus allowing the bills to pass screening methods used to determine if bills are fake or real.

On the counterfeit bills, which have surfaced from Rockford to Lake County, a $1 or $5 bill is “washed,” then overlaid with counterfeit wording in every appropriate location, Larsson said.

The move is to change the denomination of the bill, but keep a lot of counterfeit measures in place, Larsson said.

For example, Larsson said because it is a real bill but has a changed denomination, the counterfeit money is passing the “verifier-pen test” often used to determine if the bill is real.

“Some have passed through the denomination counters at local banks without alerting the teller of the counterfeit markings,” Larsson said. “Two of these bills have shown up in Wauconda, but other communities around Lake County have seen them as well.”

He said the counterfeit currency will be blurred in contrast to a normal bill. He said legitimate bills are clear and have contrast in the numerical areas.

In addition, merchants should check the vertical denomination banner inside the bill, he said. On legitimate currency, the banner is intact and will state the correct denomination. But, on the recent counterfeit currency, the denomination banner doesn’t match up with the amount of money presented.

“Merchants should examine the back of the bill and look for the vertical denomination to verify it is not a fake,” he said. “If a merchant does get a fake bill, they should try and remember a description of the offender or the offender’s vehicle, then contact police.”