Bogus bill incidents rare, but not unheard of

Below, Rochester are looking to talk to the individual in the red shirt after a counterfeiting incident at Signal Street Variety Store was thwarted. (Surveillance photo)

ROCHESTER - While it’s somewhat unusual for Rochester Police to encounter two counterfeit money incidents in less than a month, a police captain says it’s not unusual and doesn’t suspect a large local counterfeiting operation.

Capt. Gary Boudreau said sometimes the city will go six months without having an incident and then might see one or two a month for several months.

Police in the past month have investigated two such counterfeit incidents, one at Signal Street Variety Store and one at a McDonalds.

The McDonald’s incident last month was foiled when an employee noticed something was wrong with the feel of the paper currency. In the July 8 Signal Street incident, the manager said the employee said the bill also felt funny then applied a pen scan to confirm it was bogus.

Both counterfeit bills were $20s, the longtime preferred denomination for counterfeiters.

The Secret Service, which oversees counterfeit prosecutions, says the feel of a counterfeit bill is often a dead giveaway, according to www.secretservice.gov. Ways to tell a bill is bogus are:

The portraits: They appear lifelike and stand out on legitimate bills, but dull and flat on counterfeit.

The paper: Genuine currency paper has tiny red and blue fibers embedded throughout. Often counterfeiters try to simulate these fibers by printing tiny red and blue lines on their paper.

The serial numbers: Genuine serial numbers have a distinctive style and are evenly spaced. The serial numbers are printed in the same ink color as the Treasury Seal. On a counterfeit, the serial numbers may differ in color or shade of ink from the Treasury seal. The numbers may not be uniformly spaced or aligned.

The border: The fine lines in the border of a genuine bill are clear and unbroken. On the counterfeit, the lines in the outer margin and scrollwork may be blurred and indistinct.

The Federal Reserve and Treasury seals: On a genuine bill, the saw-tooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals are clear, distinct, and sharp. The counterfeit seals may have uneven, blunt, or broken saw-tooth points.

Only about 1/100 of 1 percent of all money in circulation is counterfeit, according to www.wikihow.com

 Boudreau said usually when a counterfeit bill does get through, the store manager will quickly discover it before the store is victimized for a larger amount.

Meanwhile, the persons of interest Rochester Police are looking for in connection with the recent incidents remain at large.

The Rochester Police are asking anyone who may have information that could assist with these investigations, to contact Officer Leccacorvi at 330-7128. You can also provide information and remain anonymous by calling the Rochester Crime Line at 335-6500 or Text to: CRIMES (274637) Body of Text: TEXT4CASH + your tip. Cash rewards are offered for information that leads to an arrest.