CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — In the past week something has been making its way through the streets of Chillicothe, Ohio.
"These one hundred dollar bills, I've never seen anything like it," Chillicothe Police Sgt. Lucas Hansen said.
Sgt. Hansen says at least seven instances have been reported since Sunday where criminals have been trying to pass off the fake $100 bills.
"There were, indeed, counterfeit hundred dollar bills involving multiple businesses," he said.
According to one police report, a Subway restaurant on Bridge Street accepted one and was only noticed after it was taken to the overnight drop box at a local bank. Another happened at a Walmart on River Trace where reports say a tall female with braids wearing a pink suit tried to use one of the fake bills. The cashier noticed the fraudulent bill and that's when the woman grabbed it from the cashier and left.
Police reports also mention the Dollar General on Central Center. It allegedly happened Wednesday and involved a suspect with a similar description. The report says the officer found that the female had tried to do the same thing at other stores that same day.
"We do have leads in the investigation," Hansen said. "We are currently working with the Secret Service."
Sgt. Hansen says these bills are passing the marker test that usually immediately identifies a counterfeit.
"They're changing it every day," he said. "They know what passes in some stores and what won't pass in others and what they've used previously. Eventually we'll always catch on to the newest trends and then they always switch up their tactics. It's an ongoing thing that will probably never end in my time."
Hansen says there are suspects in this case. There is also surveillance video, but that was not shared with 10TV.
He would also not say if this applies to this week's cases, but usually he says counterfeit bills are smaller, lighter and often have unusual markings on them.
If you suspect you might have received a counterfeit bill you're asked to contact your local police department.
