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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Funny money is
no laughing matterQuestion: I'm concerned about counterfeit currency. If I inadvertently get a counterfeit $20 and use it to pay for a purchase, will I get arrested when the ink from the marking pen doesn't turn the right color? Do we have to get one of those pens to mark the bills that we get from the ATM, retailers or others? Seems to me we'd all have to walk around with one of those pens hanging around our neck.
Answer: If you innocently passed a counterfeit bill, you probably won't be thrown into jail, but it depends on the circumstances, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.
The Secret Service has "exclusive jurisdiction" for investigating counterfeit crimes involving U.S. obligations and securities, which includes currency and coins, U.S. Treasury checks, U.S. Department of Agriculture coupons and U.S. postage stamps.
If you just make yourself familiar with your money, you really don't need to walk around town with a counterfeit marking pen, worried about being taken for a buck or more.
"People should be familiar with their currency," said Rick Walkinshaw, assistant to the special agent in charge of the Secret Service in Honolulu.
"Normally, a counterfeit note looks counterfeit, especially the things we see recently," he said, noting that the fake bills being passed around don't have the "three-dimensional qualities that genuine currency has."
Regarding what happens if you happen to use a counterfeit bill, "There is no hard and fast rule to say somebody would be arrested or not be arrested," Walkinshaw said. "Each circumstance dictates the decision."
Typically, when a bogus bill is passed, the cashier or whoever is handling the money recognizes it as counterfeit, and the police are called, Walkinshaw said.
While some people are obviously trying to pull a fast one, there are people who inadvertently pass counterfeit bills, he said.
"That's why we encourage police, when police are called, to call us, and we can help them determine whether the note is counterfeit and help to determine whether it's been passed with an intent to defraud," Walkinshaw said.
At that point the person who passed the bill "should stay and explain what happened," he said. "There are investigative techniques that allow us to determine if it was an innocent pass or actually passed with an intent to defraud."
If you somehow get hold of a counterfeit bill or think a bill looks suspicious, Walkinshaw suggested either calling the police or just taking it to your bank.
"We get calls from banks all the time," he said. If the bill turns out to be genuine, it is returned to the bank and, presumably, to you.
If not, you're out of luck. You don't get reimbursed if you've gotten stuck with a counterfeit.
"The government doesn't back counterfeiters," Walkinshaw said. "It's just like somebody stealing from you -- that's what it is."
For tips on recognizing fake money, check the Secret Service's Web site www.secretservice.gov/know_your_money.shtml.
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