Counterfeit cash reported in Austintown, Boardman and Liberty
Police in three Valley communities are on the lookout for three people suspected of taking part in a scheme to circulate counterfeit money. A loss prevention officer from Walmart gave Austintown Police the descriptions and surveillance images of three people suspected of spending counterfeit $100 bills on merchandise at area Walmart stores, then exchanging those goods at other Walmart stores for genuine currency, as well as buying more items using the bogus bills. At the Mahoning Av...
Police in three Valley communities are on the lookout for three people suspected of taking part in a scheme to circulate counterfeit money.
A loss prevention officer from Walmart gave Austintown Police the descriptions and surveillance images of three people suspected of spending counterfeit $100 bills on merchandise at area Walmart stores, then exchanging those goods at other Walmart stores for genuine currency, as well as buying more items using the bogus bills.
At the Mahoning Avenue store, a man and two women passed a total of six counterfeit $100 bills, mixed in with real $100 bills to purchase electronics, clothing and other items.
An alert associate at Boardman's Walmart spotted the counterfeit money being used by a woman trying to buy a stereo. When the clerk told he woman he had to check on something, the woman walked away, leaving the two $100 bills behind.
Another clerk at the Boardman store wasn't as lucky. That same day, a man managed to spend two phony hundred dollar bills on a computer router, a pair of camo shorts and a Cleveland Cavaliers T-shirt.
Both suspects got into the same SUV when they left the store.
According to the report, the Liberty Walmart fell victim to the same scheme.
The police report gives the following descriptions of the three suspects:
- Black male in his 30's, 6' tall, medium build, mustache and goatee, wearing tan shorts, green shirt, blue ball cap.
- Light skinned black female in her late 20's, 5'5” tall, heavy build, red hair, wearing a black dress.
- Black female in her early 20's, 5'6” tall, thin build, wearing a striped skirt, red shirt and white tennis shoes.
Austintown police are asking anyone with information about the suspects to contact them at 330-799-9721.
According to the Federal Reserve, the best way to determine whether a note is genuine is to rely on the security features, such as the watermark and security thread.
Counterfeit detection pens are not always accurate and may give you false results.
To learn about these and other security features in genuine Federal Reserve notes, visit the new money public education website.
It is important to know what the security features are in genuine currency, because if you end up with a counterfeit note, you will lose that money.
A counterfeit note cannot be exchanged for a genuine one, and it is illegal to knowingly pass counterfeit currency.
If you think you've received a counterfeit note, immediately notify the local police.
Try to remember the physical characteristics of the person who passed the suspect counterfeit, and if possible write down the person's license plate number and vehicle description.
Store the suspect counterfeit apart from genuine currency and release it as soon as possible to law enforcement authorities.
