Police: Counterfeit Bills Being Passed in Wyandotte

Wyandotte business owners are being put on alert to a slew of counterfeit bills being passed in the area over the last two weeks.

The majority of the bogus bills have been $50s and $100s, but some $20s also have been spotted.

The frequency of such reports have heightened in recent days, causing the to alert its members of the situation on Tuesday.

“I have received a number of calls and emails regarding counterfeit money and how to detect the bills, as well as what exactly to do if you are presented with them,” WBA Executive Director Lynn Steffensky said.

After speaking with police, she said, she’s recommending store employees who suspect they are dealing with a counterfeit bill to hold onto it and to call police discretely while the customer is still in the store.

“If the customer flees, try to be observant and get a description of them and possibly the vehicle,” Steffensky said. “Do not try to physically detain them.”

On the advice of police, she said, employees should “be observant, (but) not a hero.”

There’s always the possibility, too, that the person passing the counterfeit money isn’t aware it’s fake, she said.

“If they are innocent or they don’t know what’s going on, they’re not going to run away,” Steffensky said. “Officers will talk to them and try to backtrack to figure out where the money came from.”

said the counterfeit money isn’t limited to just Wyandotte.

“I’ve spoken with chiefs in other Downriver communities and counterfeit money is showing up throughout the area,” he said. “It seems to occur in spurts. … It’s certainly a problem.”

No arrests have been made in Wyandotte, but Grant said, officers have taken reports and continue to follow up on them.

Counterfeiting is a federal crime and the Secret Service is the agency tasked with enforcing it; however, it also can be dealt with on a local level as there are state laws forbidding it, as well, Grant said

Bars and other establishments with dim lighting are the most apt to be hit, he said.

“It’s a low-light situation and the waitress is busy with a bunch of customers and doesn’t look closely and then we hear about it later,” Grant said.

The chief encourages businesses to invest in the counterfeit bill detector pens that are available at most major office supply stores.

“They’re affordable and they work really well,” he said.

While they can be helpful, Jeanette Rinna said, there are other ways of protecting yourself against being the victim of a counterfeiter.

Rinna, who owns , said she’s taken classes on detecting fake money as some counterfeiters have already learned how to outsmart the detector pens.

“If they bleach a $5 bill and print a $50 on top, the pen won’t detect anything because it’s still printed on a good bill,” she said. “There are things you learn about holding a bill up and looking for the strip, the double exposed face and the different colored hairs.”

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