The Bangor Police Department is encouraging businesses to be vigilant of counterfeit bills after receiving recent reports about them being used in the city.
Four reports about counterfeit $100 bills came into the department in the last week and a half, Bangor police spokesperson Sgt. Jason McAmbley said. He didn’t name the businesses that made the reports, but one employs a handful of people while the other has more than 100 employees, he said.
Reports of counterfeit money usually show up in clusters, when one person or business calls the department and a few others typically follow, then the pattern disappears, McAmbley said. One of the cases was assigned to a detective because it involves a person of interest, while surveillance footage is being reviewed for some of the other reports, he said.
“Counterfeit bills have an ebb and flow,” he said. “People think, ‘This is a wonderful idea,’ until they get caught. We typically do catch them.”
The fake bills floating around Bangor appear to be the work of a local person, though the department is still investigating, McAmbley said.
Every once in a while, a ring of counterfeiters will pop up, hitting busy big-box stores, he said. Police departments around Maine dealing with such an operation will usually warn others that their city or town might get hit next.
Counterfeit bills can usually be distinguished based on the color, size, smell and texture. Something about them just doesn’t feel authentic, McAmbley said.
“If you think it’s odd, call us,” he said. “We do have some fake $100 bills going around, so we would like to know about it.”
To reach Bangor police, call 207-947-7384. To leave an anonymous message, call 207-947-7382, ext. 3.
