Seaside Police report a merchant seized a suspicious $100 bill over the July Fourth holiday weekend and the man presenting the bill walked away form the store before officers could locate him. Last summer Seaside Police reported at least three incidents of $100 counterfeit bills being passed at local businesses. One case lead to the arrest of two suspects from The Dalles.

Counterfeit tens, twenties even hundred dollar bills have been turning up in deposits made at St. Helens Federal Credit Union according to Diana Huff, spokesperson for the credit union.

The fake bills look pretty genuine said Huff, not something from your home copier. However, she said, they are not printed on special paper used by the government, so they don’t feel right.

Josh Poling, manager of the St. Helens IGA said his store has not received any of the bogus money. He said they rely on the experience of their cashiers to detect fraudulent currency. Shelly Windham at Ace Hardware said they have not had bad money passed at their store in St. Helens. Windham said they check all currency, from fives on up with both a special pen and a black light.

The latest wave of fraudulent activity has prompted SHCU to offer classes in Rainier, St. Helens and Scappoose. The seminars are available free to businesses and teach the participant how to recognize bogus bills.

The costs are high for merchants or the public who take the money. There is no recourse said Huff. The person who takes the bad money is just out of luck she said.

In one case, said Huff, the credit union received an authentic bill that had been altered. The ink had been washed from a five-dollar bill and reproduced to look like a hundred dollar bill, she said.

The United States Secret Service is the law enforcement agency charged with investigating counterfeiting claims. They offer tips on how to spot bogus paper money.

Look at the money you receive, they suggest. Compare a suspect note with a genuine note of the same denomination, paying close attention to the quality of printing and the paper characteristics, they said. Look at the differences, not the similarities between a real bill and the one you suspect is a counterfeit.

More information can be found at http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml.