HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Retailers are seeing an increase in fake or altered bills circulated in the area.
Counterfeit money is typically high-dollar bills – $100s or $50s – used to make a small purchases.
A store on Felch Street reported an incident just after 10 p.m. Thursday where a man used a fake $100 bill to make a small purchase.
The man got away with what police called a sizable amount of real money in change along with the items.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department says some bills get past normal security procedures like marking pens.
Fake money can be detected by a thorough inspection of the bills. Counterfeit bills often feel off, or just a little different from what a normal bill feels like. Often times bills are not squarely lined up with the edges. Checking for details like these acts as extra security when handling high-dollar bills.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office tells FOX 17 the increase in activity is centralized to the lakeshore area, especially Holland Township. Suspects include both male and females of multiple different races.
If anyone has information on the production and distribution of counterfeit bills in West Michigan, please contact the Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT.
