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LAW ENFORCEMENT Counterfeit bills on the rise in Grants Pass, Rogue River Comment By Patricia Snyder Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Patricia Snyder Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Jul. 15, 2016 at 11:41 AM Updated Jul 15, 2016 at 3:20 PM By Patricia Snyder Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Jul. 15, 2016 at 11:41 AM Updated Jul 15, 2016 at 3:20 PM » Social News A waiter with a $10 tip that turned out to be fake. A restaurant depositing a bogus $50 bill. A general merchandise store that refused to accept a suspicious $20, and the would-be customer runs away. With such incidents happening a few times a week, counterfeit bills are being passed around Grants Pass and Rogue River at what appears to be a higher rate than normal. Authorities are warning people they need to be cautious or lose out. Whoever has the bill last takes the loss when it is discovered as fake, so the individual or merchant who turns money in to the bank is out of luck, explained Lesley Donaghy, crime prevention officer with the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety. When a fake bill shows up in a bank deposit, it isn't the bank that takes the loss, Donaghy said. It's whoever made the deposit. Counterfeiters like to target companies with "low cost and high turnover," she said, meaning inexpensive options and lots of money being handled. If they use a counterfeit $20 bill to buy something that costs 99 cents, they get that item for free and $19 in real money back in change. Because of this, she encourages businesses to pull money from cashier drawers frequently — that gives them a better idea of the time frame of when a bill came in, in case police use video to find out who passed the funny money. Donaghy holds trainings as part of the Southern Oregon Fraud and Financial Securities Team that cover topics such as fake money and handling shoplifters. Banks participate in workshops, and she recently started training companies. These are the things to look for to determine if a bill is real or fake, according to Donaghy: • Real bills are thinner than typical paper because the printing process presses them. It used to be that pens could be used to distinguish real and fake, but reactive paper is available, so Donaghy tells people to not rely solely on pens. • Ink on a real bill is slightly raised, so the money is textured instead of smooth. • Real money uses a digital printing process, so images are crisp. • Threads are embedded in a real bill. • Hold a real bill larger than $1 up to a light source and see its written denomination. This is a way to detect if a bill worth less has been altered to look like it is worth more, such as a $5 bill made into a $50 bill. • A black light can be used to detect certain real bills. A $5 bill glows blue, a $10 bill glows orange, a $20 bill glows green, a $50 bill glows yellow and a $100 bill glows pink. Although the color on older bills may fade, white bills are likely counterfeit. Merchants who get a suspicious bill should call police right away. If the suspect leaves before police arrive, get as much information as possible, such as what the person looks like and any getaway vehicle used, Donaghy said. Merchants are advised to handle the bill as little as possible, putting it in an envelope or other safe place to turn over to police. For information about crime prevention or to learn about the next anti-counterfeit training, call Donaghy at 541-450-6245. Reach reporter Patricia Snyder at 541-474-3806 or [email protected] By Patricia Snyder Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Patricia Snyder Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Jul. 15, 2016 at 11:41 AM Updated Jul 15, 2016 at 3:20 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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