Archived Counterfeit bills?

Status
Not open for further replies.
When I checked a bill, I simply said "I'm sorry, we can't accept this. Do you have another form of payment?"

I did get cocky once with a guy being a jerk.
He said "Why? What's wrong with it?"
I said "Do you want the short list or the long one?"
He left.
 
If your store hasnt gotten the new pens I would recommend ordering them. I read a case where someone tried to pass a fake bill and the pen ate through the paper 😀. Apparently they also test based on the bills ink.
 
NewCashierLT said:
Sorry to bump, but I am really frustrated about this issue. I was "warned" (not sure if this is a coaching) about a transaction in which I accepted counterfeit $100 bills by a GSTL. The counterfeit bills were "real" according to the pen, so like thetargetman said, it was probably a bleached lower bill. Since then, I have been checking for watermarks on all $20, $50, and $100 bills. Yesterday, as another GSTL came over to provide the change I requested, she saw me checking for the watermark, and instructed me not to do that, since it's "rude" to the guest. She told me to go by "feel" if it's counterfeit or not. I will try to check for the other markings like suggested, but if a cashier find out that a bill is counterfeit through other means and decline it (with the approval of a GSTL or AP?), doesn't it equate to checking through a watermark and declining it? Either way, it's "rude" to the guest, so I don't understand why checking through a watermark is such an issue.
Click to expand...

This came from up top. I remember a long time ago getting that email about not holding it to the light. I thought that was stupid and I ignore it when my cashiers do it. Sorry I just don't agree with the "it's rude" crap.
 
I figure if anyone gets offended I can pass it off as "counterfeit bills can enter circulation without people knowing about them", etc...
 
You can still look for the watermark by using the reflected light off the floor tiles 😛

Some more things to know: look for the color shifting ink on the numbers in the lower-right. If you move the bill around, the color will change.

Also feel the jackets. The printing process makes physical ridges on the money and the easiest place to feel these are on the jackets of each portrait. Rub your finger or thumb along it and you'll recognize it.

I once discovered fake money when I noticed all of the bills had the same serial number! Obviously that is not going to be the first line of defense, but its one more thing you can check if you feel iffy.

Also a good link straight from the horse's mouth: The Seven Denominations | U.S. Currency Education Program - https://www.uscurrency.gov/denominations
 
One big too that I forgot is that usually serial numbers are all the same. Typically in my market people buy infant monitors, carriers, high dollar electronics or gift cards. If you see any of these and they are paying with a few hundreds it should set off some red flags.
 
As a GSTL, this is best addressed by making your own training material. Partner with your AP on this if you'd like, but we have a packet we made. There's some basic fraud awareness guides that cashiers have to read in addition to the shitty training from Target. We had a total of 1 fake $100 passed at our Starbucks during the entirety of fourth quarter due to this. I've rejected tons of fakes during that quarter too.

Also, educate yourself and your cashiers. Never directly accuse a guest of passing you a fake. That's what gets you in trouble. "I'm sorry, but I cannot accept this bill. Do you have another form of payment today?"
 
I've had good luck with guests doing the "this is why we can't have nice things" routine--OTHER PEOPLE commit fraud, so we have to be super careful about all bills/coupons/whatever. I haven't come across any fraud in my limited time on the lanes, but I haven't had guests get mad about checking, either.
 
Not specific to Target, but I'm seeing posts on my local Facebook "garage sale" group that people are trying to pass off movie money as the real thing when paying for stuff listed on the site and on FB Marketplace. In one instance, the "buyer" handed the bills to the seller folded up. She recognized immediately that they felt funny and grabbed her item back that she was trying to sell. She didn't say if the buyer took off or what exactly happened there, but she still had the prop money to take pictures for her warning post. And yes, she said she was reporting to the police as well.

100x $100 Bills - $10,000 New Style Prop Money - https://propmoney.com/products/100x-100-bills-10-000-new-style-full-print-prop-money?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=52856206084&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3v3YBRCOARIsAPkLbK6QQ_nZKZo9Z78Ahiqeki1HQohHEABLiJN_7RDkQrs0WuozXisCd7waAv7pEALw_wcB
 
GoodyNN said:
Not specific to Target, but I'm seeing posts on my local Facebook "garage sale" group that people are trying to pass off movie money as the real thing when paying for stuff listed on the site and on FB Marketplace.
Click to expand...
We had someone months ago accept one of those bills, which I thought was completely crazy. I didn’t believe it, so a GSTL showed it to me and it just felt off... just like paper and it showed up completely black with those unreliable pens, so hopefully any cashier would catch these if they do start coming around.
 
The counterfeit pens work! Received a $50 bill the other day where the pen's ink basically drew a white line, I turned on the blinker light to get assistance while the guest stood quietly. GSTL was gone for the day, one of our TMs (former GSA) confirmed, told our "guest" that we really could not accept the bill. "Guest" didn't provide other payment, left the items and exited the store. Afterward, our former GSA said the "guest" had come earlier in the day with a fake $100. The bill had the right feel to it but the background and print quality were off. This was the first time I'd had the pen confirm my gut hunch that the bill wasn't good.
 
My store hasn't had the pens for at least a year. But if one works with money long enough, you get a feel for what just doesn't seem right. I've seen pretty much every sort of counterfeit. Probably my favorite was the one where they had forgotten why US currency are called "greenbacks." That's right. They used black ink on both sides.
 
The black pens are useless. You need to have AP order the new green pens. These make the ink in the seals on the from if the bills run even even there money is printed on bleached bills.
 
My store had the green pens until my leadership, in their infinitesimal wisdom, decided to not order more as the old ones ran dry. I remember when we got the pens. Everyone was asking what it would look like when a bill tested bad. The GSA on shift said she didn't know. I printed a speed ID, then ran the pen over the ink. "That's what it will look like."
 
So, the green pens are the ones that work? Are the seals the only part of the bills that run when you run the pens across them?
 
BullseyeBabe said:
So, the green pens are the ones that work? Are the seals the only part of the bills that run when you run the pens across them?
Click to expand...
The counterfeit detector pen is extremely simple. It contains an iodine solution that reacts with the starch in wood-based paper to create a black stain. When the solution is applied to the fiber-based paper used in real bills, no discoloration occurs.
 
The green pens are different. They react to the ink, not the paper. You can use it on any printed portion of the bill, but the Treasury seal is usually the best option, since it is a fairly large area. If the ink is correct, nothing happens. If it is not, then the ink will smear. If the paper is also bad, it will sometimes break down too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top