MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A counterfeit money scheme has hit Martin County, with four stores in Stuart reporting that they recently accepted fake $20 bills. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is now alerting residents and businesses to look closely at their cash transactions as the busy holiday shopping season begins.

While spending money, whether through credit or hard cash, is common during the holidays, the Sheriff’s Office warns that people need to be more careful when handling paper money. The recent wave of fake currency saw $120 in counterfeit money accepted by four stores. While counterfeiting is not new, authorities say it is rare to see fake $20 bills, which Sheriff John Budensiek says could easily trick people when stores are busy.

“Now, when you compare them to a real $20 bill, you can see fairly quickly that they’re not real. But if you’re just handing these $20 bills as a cashier, and you’re trying to get people moving through, of course, the holiday season is here, and things are busy, you’re likely to miss it,” Sheriff Budensiek said.

The Sheriff’s Office has not yet made an arrest, but possesses video footage of one of the suspects giving a Wawa clerk nearly $60 in fake cash. In cases like this, the criminals can range widely in sophistication.

“We’ve seen larger operations where individuals are taking small bills, washing them, reprinting them, and then they sell those counterfeit bills for pennies on the dollar, and they get spread out throughout the state. And then we found people with printers in the back of their car. Extremely unsophisticated,” Budensiek explained.

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Authorities advise that there are several indicators of a counterfeit bill, including features that are hard for criminals to recreate:

Watermarks: Look for the watermarks when holding the bill up to a light, as these are embedded in the paper.Feel: Check if the bill feels too stiff or has a plastic-like texture.Coloring: Check for odd coloring on the face of the bill, such as hints of blue and red on a twenty.

Sheriff Budensiek urges everyone to be vigilant, regardless of the denomination. “Slow down and pay attention. These scammers look for lines that are rushed; they look for cashiers that are not paying attention. They look for victims that are not paying attention,” he advised.

Some residents have suggested that authorities issue a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) for the serial numbers on the counterfeit bills. However, law enforcement often doesn’t know how many different serial numbers are being used by scammers, making it a constant game of catch-up.

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