DOWNEY - On Aug. 15, around 5:30 p.m. an unsuspecting Downey resident residing on Brookmill Road was given a counterfeit $50 bill at a yard sale as payment for a $5 item.The goal of the criminal was to be given $45 of real change after making only a $5 purchase with the counterfeit $50 bill. The resident, who requested to remain anonymous, explains, "Two men pulled up in a car but only one stepped out. Then the man walked up to the espresso machine and asked to buy it without removing it from the box to look at it." Reflecting upon the man's actions, the resident now realizes that the reason the man never opened the box was because he was only concerned with being given the $45 worth of change. Counterfeit money is not always obvious to recognize to an untrained individual. The resident did not realize that the bill was counterfeit until she took it to a local bank. The resident now wishes that she had taken more care to ensure that this did not happen and would like to encourage others to become more informed about counterfeit money. The resident also believes that anyone having a yard sale should purchase a counterfeit money detector pen in order to ensure that they are not taken advantage of. The Downey Police Department would like to remind Downey residents of some simple ways to check bills in order to insure that they are not counterfeit. On all current bills, presidential faces are ridged, a security thread is present, color shifting ink is discernable, and a water mark is viewable. On the $50 bill that the Downey resident received, the security thread should have been roughly ¼ of an inch away from the presidential portrait.

********** Published: August 21, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 18