BOGUS BILLS

Blacksburg Police Chief Jamie Ham holds a $100 bill up to the light revealing a watermark in the form of Abraham Lincoln, usually found on $5 bills. Authorities are looking into the passing of phony bills locally after four area businesses reported incidents in which they received counterfeit currency. Authorities are usually able to spot the difference between real and counterfeit bills.

However, every once in a while, looks can be deceiving.

According to a report from the Blacksburg Police Department (BPD), an unknown man presented a counterfeit $100 bill at a restaurant in the municipality Wednesday.

The report states a bearded black male described as 6-feet tall, wearing black pants and a dark green shirt came into Danny's Restaurant on South Charleston Street in Blacksburg at about 8:15 p.m. Aug. 19 wanting to place an order.

Claiming to be on his way to Atlanta, Ga., the man ordered a meal consisting of grits, eggs and toast, paying for the food with a $100 bill. According to the report, the man took his change and left.

A "pen test" performed on the bill by a restaurant employee determined the bill was legitimate, even though it wasn't.

"Usually when money passes that test, it's a done deal," Blacksburg Police Chief Jamie Ham said. "The money in this case tested to be legitimate bills; but sometimes you have to look further."

To be on the safe side, the restaurant requested the help of the BPD to make a conclusion about the money in question.

"We thoroughly examined the bill, checking everything from how the paper feels and a pen test to the magnetic strip to see if this money was real," Ham said. "It wasn't until we noticed the Lincoln water mark found on $5 bills was on a Benjamin Franklin bill (worth $100) that we came to the final conclusion the money was counterfeit."

The Blacksburg police chief said he believes the money was bleached before having the look of a $100 bill copied onto the currency.

"I had already told the boys that this looks like the real thing, real money," Ham said. "It's virtually impossible to know with your eyes that it is fake, a lot of the times too late."

Blacksburg police officials are now alerting county businesses of the phony bills, distributing fliers throughout the area.

Millions of counterfeit bills are passed each year, according to the U.S. Secret Service, claiming the ease and speed with which large quantities of counterfeit currency can be produced using modern photographic and printing equipment.

Ham believes the operation is not based in Cherokee County.

"My hunch is because of how organized and almost perfect it is, that this cannot be a local organization or counterfeit group," Ham said.

This is one of a string of incidents involving counterfeit money in the past week.

Continued from 1A Authorities with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office received reports of fake $100 bills being passed Aug. 14 at the J. Express convenience store in Blacksburg and at the Kangaroo Express located on Shelby Highway. The same night, an unknown man attempted to make a purchase at the CVS Pharmacy on West Buford Street in Gaffney, handing the clerk a bill with $100 markings. The bill was found to have been printed over a $5 bill when held under a light.

The manufacture of or possession of counterfeit currency is a federal offense, punishable by a fine of up to $15,000 and 15 years in prison.