By MARC VALERO
Highlands Today
Published: December 15, 2009
SEBRING - The Christmas season brings out a lot of fakes - Santa's beard, artificial trees and faux diamonds - but sometimes another fake turns up - counterfeit money from those looking to capitalize on the busy season.
Kmart store manager Tom Tibble said Monday, "You are always going to get some counterfeit bills, especially during the Christmas season."
The store installed counterfeit currency detection machines with ultraviolet lights at its checkouts about three or four months ago, which Tibble believes may be a deterrent to those looking to pass fake bills.
The cashiers have gotten in the habit of checking all the bills real quickly, he said.
Matthew Lynch, who heads the West Palm Beach field office of the Secret Service, said they see a marked increase in fake bills during the holiday season.
"They counterfeiters do target the large department stores at this time of the year when it's crowded and there's a lot of exchanging of currency back and forth," he said.
There are people who are looking to exchange the money to get genuine U.S. currency by passing a counterfeit $100 or $50 bill for an item that costs about $10, he said. Others are using the fake money to actually purchase items such as electronics.
A Secret Service agent from the Orlando field office said there's another type of counterfeiter who uses a three-in-one printer to make several hundred dollars worth of counterfeit money to pass at nightclubs.
The two most popular counterfeit notes are $20 and $100 bills, he said.
Highlands County Sheriff Sgt. Brian Kramer said sometimes after a store receives a counterfeit bill, a bank will spot the phony money during a bank deposit. Then the Secret Service is notified directly.
If it is known who passed the fake bill, then the sheriff's office is called in, he said.
The sherriff's office is currently investigating a counterfeit $5 bill that was passed recently at a liquor store in Highway Park.
It could be a left over from some counterfeit bills that were passed in the Lake Placid area about two years ago, he said.
From the paper to the printing and security features, there are number of things to look for to see if the bill you are holding is real.
Genuine U.S. currency has red and blue security fibers imbedded within its paper, which is made with a high content of linen and cotton.
The genuine notes' security features include micro printing, which is smaller than the current resolution threshold of modern-day copiers, the Orlando agent said. A photocopy of the bill would not reproduce the micro printing, which would appear as a line on the counterfeit bill.
The genuine portrait appears lifelike and stands out distinctly from the background. The counterfeit portrait is usually lifeless and flat. Details merge into the background which is often too dark or mottled.
"If anybody thinks they do have a counterfeit and the person who presented it is there, you should call the local police or mall security as the case may be," Lynch said. If they determine it to be counterfeit, the Secret Service would be notified.
The Secret Service has noted that many of today's counterfeiters have moved from the traditional method of offset printing, which has its own set of required skills, to computer-generated counterfeiting. Today's counterfeiter is able to produce counterfeit currency with basic computer training and skills afforded by trial and error and public education.
Highlands Today reporter Marc Valero can be reached at 386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com
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