Sean C. Morgan
Sweet Home police arrested a Sweet Home woman last week in connection with the alleged attempted use of counterfeit money, and police are warning the public to be on the lookout for counterfeit money that may be circulating around town.
Arrested Sept. 12 was Kendra Lynn Montoya, 19, on charges of first-degree forgery and first-degree possession of a forged instrument. She was lodged at Linn County Jail.
While reports of counterfeit currency seem to be more common this year, over the past few weeks businesses have been reporting fake $100 bills.
“They’re not a federal note,” said Cyndi Pichardo, a detective with Sweet Home Police Department. “They could be a collectible to some people. You can buy a pack of 100 for $7.99 on eBay.”
Business owners and customers should take a close look at any $100 bills that come into their possession.
The $100 bills have red Asian writing on them and dotted lines across a corner of the bill on both sides. Counterfeit bills sometimes have the same serial number on each bill.
Someone had attempted to pass one of those at Speedee Mart, 1501 Main St., Pichardo said. “The employee was on it.”
People can legally possess the fake money, she said. A crime occurs when it’s handed to a clerk to purchase goods.
“We generally see 20s and under because they don’t generate as much scrutiny when people are in a hurry,” Pichardo said. In general, she believes police are seeing more counterfeit money this year, but because of the way the reports are stored in the SHPD database, she was unable to determine just how many reports SHPD has received this year.
“Some have had a better quality than others,” Pichardo said of the fake money. Each and every one could have been detected if clerks take the time and use the tools they have been trained to use. That includes pens, security strips and the feel of the paper.
For customers who might receive counterfeit money as change from a store that missed a bill, “just use a little more scrutiny if you’re using a large bill and you’re receiving change. We’re not seeing instances of that, but it could happen,” Pichardo said.
Anyone with information on individuals involved in making or circulating counterfeit bills is urged to call the police immediately at (541) 367-5181.
For help on detecting counterfeit money, visit the U.S. Secret Service website secretservice.gov. For a guide to current money, visit secretservice.gov/data/KnowYourMoney.pdf.