Downtown Morgan Hill merchants have reported a flurry of recent attempts by customers to pass suspicious $100 bills for retail purchases.
The owners of at least six stores downtown reported the suspicious currency last week, according to Morgan Hill Downtown Association Office Manager Raquel Crowell.
One of the store owners reported on Thursday that two women tried to pass a $100 bill, and refused to let her mark the note with a special pen used to detect counterfeit currency when they presented the cash to her.
Another downtown store owner – Krystal Thomas of SleepPlayLove Children’s Consignment Boutique – said she received a fake $100 bill last week “that had all of the correct markings and holograms,” according to an e-mail Thomas sent to the MHDA. “It even passed the pen test.”
Thomas recently purchased a “UV counterfeit bill detector” that lights up a “security strip” in higher denomination bills when the cash is placed under the light, according to her e-mail. The possibly fake $100 bill she received last week did not show a security strip when placed under the detector.
She added especially with the holidays coming up, retail store owners and employees should be aware of the presence of counterfeit bills and how to detect them.
“Most people are really unaware how sophisticated the counterfeit bills have become and we have found that in most cases people are unknowingly passing these bills they’ve received as change at gas stations or even from banks,” Thomas said.
Staff at the Morgan Hill Downtown Association spent Monday morning getting the word out about the recent incidents. The MHDA seeks to further educate store owners and cashiers about how to detect counterfeit bills, according to Crowell.
As a result of the suspicious currency last week, many stores downtown are no longer accepting $100 bills, Crowell said.
Earlier this year, Morgan Hill police conducted a class for Chamber of Commerce members on how to spot counterfeit currency, and Crowell said it might be time for another such class for MHDA members.
“That may help people detect counterfeit bills,” Crowell said.
