Beware Of Funny Money This Holiday Season

The Cincy office of the US Secret Service reminds us that this time of year is pretty bad for counterfeit bills, and that there's a rise in funny money being used for online transactions.

Two-thirds of fake money is now printed on ink jets, not the printing presses of years ago, and because of the low-cost options, more people are doing it according to Cincinnati Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Mark Porter.

"The better color and duplication of color, how easy that is, and now the low prices. When the first started ten years ago not everybody could afford a printer and a scanner. Almost anybody can get their hands on this now."

One technique the Secret Service is seeing more often is the bleached bill. Counterfeiters take the ink off a five dollar bill and print that piece of paper with the markings of a 100. Assistant Steve Schwarz opens a loose leaf binder with laminated real and fake money, and points to a security symbol.

"That one is fairly close, but a lot of times it will be a blur." 

I would probably never sell an item for cash like that if I did that online just for that reason alone.  Worth more to me to have the piece of mind of an eBay or PayPal transaction instead.  To each his own, however.

Be careful out there this year.