Local and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies within Clallam County have received a rash of reports from local businesses receiving forged currency as of late. Quality varies, and occasionally a business receives multiple bills with the same serial number. $10 and $20 bills have been the most prevalent, however, $50 bills are now surfacing.
On March 18, the Walmart in Port Angeles received $400 in counterfeit $20 and $50 bills from a man and woman whose identity are not yet known. Their images are depicted from surveillance footage, and public assistance is requested in determining their identity. They drove a maroon compact sedan.
The bills passed by the suspects were printed on generic yet heavier-weight paper; at a glance and brief touch, they did not look or feel too poorly. However, the print and images on the bills were not as sharp as true currency, the alignment was off-center and sometimes two-toned on the rear edges, and each lacked the tiny red and blue security fibers, water mark, and security thread stating the value. Merchants are cautioned not to rely on the test pens/markers; they should check questionable bills for the watermark, the embedded security thread that states the bill’s denomination, and print quality/alignment on both sides of the bill. Below is a sample image of the security measures provided by the US Secret Service at www.secretservice.gov.
