Police chief warns citizens, businesses to be on lookout for 'fake money'

By Cory Smith | news@campcountynow.com

Pittsburg Police Chief Richard Penn is cautioning citizens and business to be on the lookout for fake bills that are being passed-off as the real thing. Specifically, there has been what is known as Hollywood or “movie money” and counterfeit bills being put into local circulation, and Penn says the best way to combat the problem is to take time to look at the bills.
“One of the biggest prevention measures a business or anyone can take is to just look at the bills. Just like anything in life, when it comes to exchanging money, we’re in a hurry.”
Another thing counterfeiters are doing, according to Penn, is cutting off corners of bills and replacing them to make to make it appear like another note. As much as it sounds like something out of an FBI or Secret Service case, don’t be so surprised, because there are counterfeiting operations happening right here in East Texas.
“We have Pittsburg residents who have been stopped in other locations with large sums of counterfeit money. We’ve had business people who’ve come in and said they don’t look at their money when they collect payments or whatever and so then they’re unable to tell us where it came from and now, they’re out some money when they realize it’s counterfeit,” said Penn.

See complete story in the March 2 edition.