LAKEPORT >> The Lakeport and Ukiah Police Departments and the Savings Bank of Mendocino County are warning the public about counterfeit $100 bills after the bank reported an apparent increase in the number of the fake bills in both cities.
The notice first came out in a Facebook post by the Ukiah Police Department where they shared an image, provided by the bank, of a $1 bill disguised as a $100 bill.
According to the UPD, “They’ve (the fake bills) been washed and fake $100 bill info [has been] printed on them. Some of the characteristics of the $1’s show through slightly.”
The bills collected by the bank are believed to be from the 2009 series or earlier.
The image, a scanned copy of the bill, had red markings that showed what discredited the dollar. One of the markings read, “faint image of numeral 1.” Without much examination, a faded number one from the original $1 bill is visible below the number 100. Another note circled a washed-out print of “this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private” on the top left side of the bill when it is printed on the bottom left of the older version of a real $100 bill.
Savings Bank Vice President and Security Officer Anna Scott said three bills from Lakeport and a “few” from Ukiah were confiscated and sent directly to the U.S. Secret Service just this year. She said this method of washing and reprinting information onto bills requires a stricter inspection from those who receive these dollars.
Although the LPD has not received any reports this year, Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said this matter is not uncommon.
“We haven’t been notified of these since Christmas, but we get frequent reports around Lakeport,” he said. “That’s not to say that it’s not happening because some people don’t call.”
One of the latest counterfeit cases was when police broke up an alleged counterfeiting ring operated by Christina Elizabeth Williams, 53, and Louis Anthony Lopez, 40, at a downtown Lakeport motel room in June of last year. Rasmussen said they arrested the pair for using fake $100 bills at local businesses over the course of several days. They purchased merchandise and exchanged the bills for gift cards. Detectives retrieved the paper, washing soap, ink and printing equipment used in the crime.
One local business owner reported to the police when she found out she received a $1 with $100 bill information printed on soon after her business opened late last year.
“I went to break it at a nearby gas station and the reader machine did not take it,” said Sarah Dutra, owner of Dusty D Work Wear in Lakeport. “You could see that it was the right kind of paper and it passed the pen test but it was something with the ink. We held up a proper $100 bill and it matched almost clearly.”
Rasmussen and Scott both said the bill will pass the marker test and will feel real so examining the dollar for anything suspicious, like finding a faded number one underneath the number 100 can help in identifying its validity.
“We always recommend that they check those bills and scrutinize them to check they’re real money,” explained Rasmussen. “Just call law enforcement and we can come down and take a look at it and investigate.”
Dutra said that since the incident, she is in the works of attaining a swipe reader to help prevent this from happening. “I am much more careful now. Lesson learned,” she said.
To see the UPD Facebook post image, visit www.facebook.com/ukiahpolice/photos/rpp.107039315993197/1797010443662734/?type=3&theater
