LEE COUNTY, Fla. - Crooks passing the buck! They're using counterfeit bills as real cash.
Three people have been busted locally, accused of using fake $100 bills at the Miromar Outlets mall in Estero.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office says the crooks will use a fake $100 bill to buy a cheap item, then take off with the $80 or $90 in change.
Officials say all business owners need to stay alert, stopping these bogus bucks. Restaurants like Iguana Mia in Cape Coral shining a light on this problem, "All of the new bills glow with the black light now, that is showing it is real," manager Robert Lamanna says.
And it's not just big bills you have to look out for, Phil Mullen with the Cape Coral Police Department says, "Some people will run big bills, others stay small, with $5s, $10s, $20s, because a lot of places don't take anything bigger than that."
Experts say the thieves target high traffic times for businesses, hoping the rush will distract the clerk. "They will wait until the person is overwhelmed with people then slip some of that fake cash in with the real stuff and hope it doesn't get noticed", Mulled said.
Iguana Mia's manager Bobby Lamanna says his staff is trained to notice fakes, armed with counterfeit pens and blacklights, "As time goes, that will lighten up to barely visible. If it goes dark brown and stays dark brown, that's an indicator it might be counterfeit," he said.
"Theres a dozen plus indicators that is supposed to be on the real cash. You have the little strip when you hold up to the light, you have the silhouette of the president that's on the bill," said Phil Mullen.
Don't trust your eyes, use your hands too, "It doesn't feel the same, even if it is in a bunch of bills, you can feel the difference, " Robert Lamanna said.
Blacklights like the Accubanker usually run at about $100.
