A Kittanning Borough Police Dept. officer is warning business owners and store employees to be on the lookout for fake $20 bills.
Police Dept. Officer Donald Blose said five counterfeit $20 bills were used to make purchases in Kittanning over the weekend.
He said at the Sheetz convenience store along Walnut Street, Kittanning, one counterfeit $20 bill was identified after a sale when a manager was counting money in the back.
In addition to Sheetz, the bills have been used at the Kittanning Honey Bear and at a local Mom and Pop-type store, Officer Blose said.
On the front of the bills, in block letters in the area where it normally says, “The United States of America” on legitimate $20 bills, the block letters say “For Motion Picture Purposes.”
On the backs of the bills, a banner of block letters also says “Motion Picture Purposes” in the general location where a banner with “The United States of America” would normally go.
The counterfeit bills brought to the Leader Times by Officer Blose also don’t have the slightly leathery feel of the paper used by the U.S. government to print money, but feel smooth, as though they have been printed on 8” by 10” computer printer paper.
“They look real, but they can be detected with a counterfeit pen,” Officer Blose said.
He said when a real paper bill is marked with a counterfeit bill detection pen, the ink disappears; but when a counterfeit bill detection pen is used to mark a counterfeit bill, the ink mark remains on the bill.
Officer Blose said a lot of store employees use counterfeit pens to check $50 and $100 bills, but don’t use the special pens on bills with denominations of $20 and lower.
However, Kittanning Police Dept. officers are recommending that store owners and their employees use counterfeit pens on $20 bills “especially now, with so many of these going around,” Officer Blose said Tuesday.
He said he is reviewing video and talking to witnesses, and expects to file charges and make an arrest within a week.
Officer Blose said he thinks the person passing the bills may be buying them off the internet.
He is also investigating the possibility that the person passing the bills could be printing them locally.
One person might also be distributing the fake bills and selling them to other people, Officer Blose said.
Officers are concerned more of the bills might be showing up in Kittanning, he said.
If anyone uses a counterfeit bill to make a purchase, or tries to, Officer Blose would like to be notified.
He said since Kittanning officers are usually out patrolling and not in the office, it would be best to call 911 and ask for him if either of those things happen.
Anne Cloonan is a staff reporter for the Leader Times. She can be reached at 724-543-1303, ext. 1337, or acloonan@leadertimes.com.
