The story says Callegari's situation is far from an anomaly, other than the aspect of the counterfeiter being dumb enough to try the same scam twice on the same person. Counterfeit money continues to pump through the economy:
It's a situation that's on the rise, Secret Service spokeswoman Kristina Schmidt said.
"You have these new areas and methods to pass counterfeit (bills) that are driven by the Internet economy," she said. "Instead of someone going to the store ... there are these different avenues."
On the other hand, there isn't a general increase in counterfeiting, she said.
In Tinley Park, there have been eight reported cases of someone paying with fake money this year, police records show.
It's a crime that never really goes away, Tinley Park police Cmdr. Pat McCain said.
And Callegari, who is living with his wife and 9-month-old son at his brother's house, is still reeling from getting scammed earlier this month.
"Eight-hundred dollars might not seem like a lot, but it is when you're struggling," he said.
The same thing happened to my friend when he sold a car to an old lady through Craigslist. Possibly unknowingly, she slipped him a fake $100 bill in a stack of legitimate Benjamins. He ended up spending the bill anyway, unaware he got away with a federal offense.
Craigslist seller swindled with counterfeit money [Chicago Sun-Times]
(Photo: alexbehrens)
If I ever get some fake money, does the government really think I'm handing it over to their fat hands in return for nothing? I think not. I'm going to spend that as fast as I can, for I'm not about to pay for someone else's (the person who initially made it, and our great gov't for their awesome "security measures") issues. So take it and spend it somewhere, because if you don't, you take a loss of $20 or however much it is. It will eventually find it's way to the bank and be incinerated, so the end result is the same.
]]>There was one time when a teenager came in and deposited some cash, not a large amount, and there was a "funny bill" in there. I felt really bad that he was out $20, but that's how it works. His mother came in later and complained to the branch manager that I had "taken" his $20. I think they ended up reporting it to the police, and the issue must have died down 'cause the family remained loyal customers and I never heard about it again.
But the fact is that counterfeiting bills costs someone something, and it's never the government that pays the price. It's usually some innocent that the bill gets trafficked to in the course of its life.
]]>Even in this case, whether you printed the bill, or just knowingly passed it along you are having the same negative impact on the economy. The fact that the person printing it is doing it on a much larger scale does not make it more unethical. As a stretch we could call it "more illegal" but only because the penalty is more severe.
]]>Those pens are a waste of $5, and give a false sense of security to those who use them.
]]>@wvFrugan: Flea market...
]]>For the layman, the Security Thread is the best defense. For $5 bills and higher, the Security Thread glows a certain color under a 365nm UV light. As bank counters don't check this feature, even high end counterfeiters elect to ommit this feature from their counterfeit bills. Cheap 400nm UV Penlights can be bought for $5, they won't detect $100's (red) but they will work perfectly for $50's (yellow). $100's require 365nm UV light to see the red in the Security Thread. 365 UV penlights can be bought on the internet for $60 shipped.
Short of a UV penlight, the color shifting ink is the next best defense. Even high end counterfeiters tend to only make ink that "Sparkles" but doesn't actually color shift. If you get a counterfeit with color shifting ink that actually shifts color, then chances are you will spend it without ever knowing you received a counterfeit bill.
Hope this helps someone out.
]]>@thrlsekr: They're there, but people will put a lot of effort into generating $100 bills.
]]>My Dad gave me some counterfiet $20's. My brother had sold an extra Steeler's ticket outside the game & the guy paid him with them. My Dad remembered the guy having a big stack of new bills. I figure the thief used the fakes to buy tickets then resold them to get real cash. The bills were good, only the feel of the paper was slightly wrong (and when I looked it had no security strip).
]]>Of course, when I was a cashier, NO ONE wanted to be holding the "hot potato".
]]>How did this friend story happen - did they not know the bill was counterfeit when they spent it, or what?
]]>I thought those were meant to react TO the bills, not react to regular paper
]]>@DefineStatutory:
I nominate this for the Best Idea EVER!
The friend knew it was fake. He just decided to try and spend it anyway. At least that's my understanding
]]>When I worked at a bank, we used to have to seize counterfeit bills on the spot. We would also have them fill out a form and the bill was sent to the Secret Service. People would get quite angry sometimes demanding the bill back. One time someone actually tried to grab it back
]]>@Jeremy82465:
it isn't "money", so there's nothing to refund when you turn it in.
There's really only one way to get rid of counterfeit money. Send it to the church of scientology as a donation.
]]>@winshape: Since that case was a robbery, I think there's a difference than if you get an evidence receipt and report from the SS.
]]>How did Phil's friend know he had a fake $100 bill? And, if knowing, why did he spend it anyway? AND, how could he have been unaware he got away with a federal offense?
]]>@MostlyHarmless: Did he think he was risking a traffic citation? It's a goofy story.
]]>At least he got to catch the guy that scammed him.
]]>If you really want to check them, spend a few minutes studying the security embedded in the bills. Check for the micro-printing, the color shift ink, the water mark, the security strip, the feel, give the bill a "snap", check for the blue and red fibers, use a blacklight if you have one, etc. I've worked many years as a cashier, and I picked more counterfeits just by touching/handling them than I ever did w/a pen. I even had someone on a previous shift take a bill that passed a pen test, but was an obvious fake that you could even see the inkjet printing marks.
]]>@WearingBlue4BillyMays_GitEmSteveDave: I believe thats correct, and that you can also send it somewhere (I cant remember to save my life) and have them refund the amount.
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