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When counterfeit cash comes from the government
David Lazarus
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If a business gives you your change in counterfeit money, you're probably out of luck unless you can prove it right there on the spot. But what if the fake money comes from an arm of the federal government?
Los Angeles Times business columnist David Lazarus tells the story of an L.A. resident who went to the post office with a postal service money order for $1,000, cashed it and went to use some of that money at a gas station. The clerk identified a $100 bill as a counterfeit and called the police, who came to the station and discovered the bills were actually $5 bills that had been bleached. Neither the police nor the gas station attendant could do anything but refer the payer to the Secret Service.
Lazarus advises contacting the Secret Service right away if you feel you've received questionable bills.
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Something the report on the person who received counterfeit $100 bills
from the USPS failed to mention is that you have a responsibility to
check any currency you receive and a right to refuse it if you have a
reasonable suspicion. There are a number of easy to check security
features on our redesigned currency: Multi-color printing, watermarks,
ink that shifts color, and a security thread. It is the responsibility
of the individual to check these at the time of the transaction.
I would offer that any note (other than a $1) with a small portrait
should be considered suspect now that most of these have been removed
from circulation.
I have no sympathy for the person in your story. I have refused notes
on multiple occasions. Also getting a note from a bank or ATM is no
guarantee that it is genuine. I once got a counterfeit $20 bill from a
bank ATM. I called the Secret Service and they confirmed it was bad,
much to the consternation of the branch manager, because his pen
indicated it was good. My clue was the treasury seal. It was not
printed in the center of the word "TWENTY" . In the situation in your
story, the person cashing the money order should have looked at each
note carefully as the money was passed to him or her. That way there is
no question who is attempting to pass the bad currency or its' origin.
Haans Petruschke
Kirtland, Ohio
