Prop money used as counterfeit

[Ghel]

It seems that a business customer at one of our other branches took in some prop money that someone tried (and maybe succeeded) to buy things with. Based on the email that got sent around, it looks pretty realistic, but prominently states "Prop Money" and "for motion picture purposes only." My favorite part is on the back where it says "In Prop We Trust." LOL

[Dreamstalker]

That's been going around in my area again. Apparently one of the newer cashiers actually took one of said bills a few days ago. Cash Office Manager comes in at 6AM (same as me), goes to take out one of the cash drawers that some dummy hadn't pulled, finds the bill and waves me over. I could tell right away that it didn't look right. At least they didn't give it back to the customer (yes, that has happened with the serious fakes--you're not supposed to give it back!).

I'm tempted to buy some of the prop money so we can train cashiers, but I also suspect I wouldn't be reimbursed for it.

[Ghel]

I looked it up on the River website. You can get 100 pieces of prop Benjamins for about $10. If it were real money, that would be $10,000. LOL "Printed on high-quality paper." Anybody who's handled money for work should be able to tell the difference by feel right away, just like you did, Dreamstalker. Maybe I shouldn't, but I find the whole thing super amusing.

[dalesys]

Advice given to me at my first electronic tech job (1973) after burning out a $395 meter (x10 for current value):
"Dale, experience is measured in equipment ruined. Don't get experienced *too* fast."

[Dreamstalker]

One of the reasons I don't wear gloves (or wear fingerless gloves) when cashiering is so that I can feel some of the tactile security features. Maybe I'm just a giant nerd; my grandfather was a special agent in the anti-counterfeit arm of the Secret Service decades ago and started teaching me what to look for pretty much as soon as I was old enough to do cash transactions on my own. As currency changed, I kept up on the changes (I'm probably the most experienced person in the store when it comes to that stuff).

The younger cashiers think that any of the old-style bills (pre-Monopoly Money redesign) are fake, and weirdly enough the 'scanning' counterfeit detectors we have will flag them.

[taxguykarl]

In chit chatting with a client--she is the manager of an independent pizza take out, she spoke of counterfeit money. She paid her prep fee in cash. I took a closer look, partly to her amusement.
In filming To Live and Die in L.A., some of the funny money leaked from the set, to the chagrin of the local Secret Service office.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Now is the time to suggest a movie about the counterfeiter who eluded the Secret Service for years. Mister 880. More details about the real counterfeiter.