Matt Weir / The Collegian

The economic climate in the Central Valley has brought about numerous obstacles including joblessness and bankruptcy among small businesses. Lately, reports of another serious problem have arisen, cash counterfeiting.

Several local businesses mentioned instances in which they have come across fake currency.

Javier Duran, cook and kitchen manager at Javier’s Mexican restaurant in Fresno, didn’t disclose any specific cases, but noted that he likes to make visual warnings when he encounters counterfeited bills.

“Usually I’ll post [the counterfeit bills] up in the back behind the girls at the counter and I’ll post the date so that if the same person comes by trying to do it again, they’ll know not to [accept it],” Duran said.

Karen Kilgore, co-owner of Performance Tire and Auto Center, heard of this new threat to both the local economy and businesses.

“A customer just told us today that it’s becoming a big problem,” Kilgore said.

She admitted that her business has to be careful with it.

“We check all our bills and if they don’t pass, we don’t take them,” Kilgore said.

While many local businesses are struggling to survive the downturn, it could be reasonable to say that they don’t want to come off as vulnerable to threats, such as faulty bills, that can void their profits.

Whether recent accusations of rising fraud are true, spreading awareness is still important.

The Better Business Bureau recently hosted a seminar for the Secret Service on finding counterfeited bills in which local business owners were allowed to attend; according to a report by Fresno’s CBS broadcast affiliate, KJEO Channel 47.

The overall message detailed in these seminars was “How to indentify counterfeit and what to do,” Vickie Sanders, assistant director of business services for the Better Business Bureau’s Fresno branch said.

“We provide seminars that we feel will benefit the consumers,” Sanders said. “We’ve done about five or six of these in the past three years”.

Sanders noted that the demand for these seminars is brought on by the Secret Service receiving calls regarding instances of cash counterfeiting as well as their tracking of business trends.

She also stated that seminars before major holidays can be helpful particularly when it’s a crucial and sometimes tough time for some businesses and consumers alike.

“If you get a fake bill, you lose a bill,” Sanders said.

Keeping a business running smoothly during an economic downturn can be a daunting task. But maintaining a firm stance against cash counterfeiting all the while is necessary when so many resort to crime during tough times.

Valley businesses are standing by strong rules and procedures to ensure they don’t fall victim to petty financial crimes.

Javier’s has been serving Mexican food in Fresno since the 1970’s. It continues to follow a long list of tell-tale signs to make sure the money that they receive is what it appears to be and isn’t just a doctored piece of paper.

Duran says that they still follow all of the “old school” methods.

“We can just purchase a marking pen from Smart and Final or Cresco, the kitchen supply store, to check the bills,” Duran said.

Using a simple pen was the only the start for their procedures in exposing fake cash. Duran noted that examining the physical features of the bill can confirm its validity. “If it looks like it doesn’t have the red and blue hair fibers, it’s fake,” Duran said.

Another sign of authenticity that Duran noted was the transparent images that were applied to bills in recent years to protect against fraud.

“If the lapel isn’t rough on the president, it won’t make a clicking sound when you rub your fingernail against it,” Duran continued. He likened the sound to that of a “card stuck in bicycle spokes.” Hearing this sound can tell you that the bill is definitely real.

Other tests were explained by Duran. “You can get a small damp sponge or towel and rub it on the bill,” he said. “If it smears, it’s fake.” In a similar test, Duran said if anything rubs off the bill when rubbed with a napkin, it is most likely a counterfeit.

Richard Danisi, Director of Security at Club One Casino, added his commentary on the matter of finding fake bills. “We have our dealers trained and if they get one that’s bad, they’ll tell them and we’ll confiscate the bill,” Danisi said.

According to Duran, “There’s no law against keeping them, but you can’t use them.” He then added, “If you take them to a bank, you can turn them in and it will be investigated.”

Richard Danisi, noted that if an investigation needs to be carried out, they will fill out a form and send it in to the Secret Service.

In terms of policies, Danisi said that they have two that their Casino staff follows based on the situation. They base their decision on whether the counterfeited bill that is given to a dealer seems to be an “innocent passing” or that of criminal intent.

Danisi summed up the problem that this poses to the casino as a small margin.

“It’s not that often that it happens, but if I had to guess, we get an average of three or four a month, max. And for the amount of cash that comes in, that’s not a lot.”

The Secret Service has made information available online to combat counterfeit bills as part of their “Know Your Money” campaign, which delves into the many signs that a bill may or may not be genuine, as well as general information on American currency.

This information as well as a form for reporting frauduelent currency can be found on their home page by visiting http://www.secretservice.gov/know_your_money.shtml.