 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Abe going bald? Ink runs? Bill is phony
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN SEMINOLE -- John Rizzoto didn't look twice at the $5 bill he stuffed into a cash register. It was a busy Friday night at Rizzoto's Italian Villa restaurant. It wasn't until his wife, Diane, was counting money after the restaurant closed that they noticed the peculiar-looking note. The ink had run, the lines around Lincoln's face were loose and the bill wasn't exactly cut right. It looked fake. "When Lincoln started going bald on us, then we knew," said Rizzoto, who opened the business in Seminole Plaza three months ago. Because sheriff's deputies frequently eat at the restaurant, the Rizzotos held on to the $5 note until Tuesday, when Seminole's community policing officer stopped for dinner. Deputy Vince Trovato said the fake bill is the first he has seen in the five years he has worked for the Sheriff's Office. So far, the counterfeit note appears to be an isolated incident in Seminole, he said. Trovato said he filled out a report and turned the note into the economic crimes division at the Sheriff's Office. Without any leads, there is not much that can be done, he said. If more phony bills start showing up in Seminole, the case would be referred to the Secret Service, which handles all counterfeit currency. The agency says if someone suspects a note is counterfeit, he should observe the passer's description, get the license numbers of any vehicles used and limit the handling of the note. Also, contact the local police department or the nearest Secret Service field office. "Who would look at a $5 bill?" asked Rizzoto, adding that he's now taking a closer look at $5 and $10 bills. "You look at $50 and $100 (notes)." Usually, counterfeit notes are in larger denominations, "but this is easier to pass," Trovato said. How to detect counterfeit moneyThe genuine portrait appears lifelike and stands out distinctly from the background. The counterfeit portrait is usually lifeless and flat. On a genuine bill, the sawtooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals are clear, distinct and sharp. The counterfeit seals may have uneven, blunt or broken sawtooth points. The fine lines in the border of a genuine bill are clear and unbroken. On the counterfeit, the lines in the outer margin and scrollwork may be blurred and indistinct. Genuine serial numbers have a distinctive style and are evenly spaced. The serial numbers are printed in the same ink color as the Treasury seal. On a counterfeit, the serial numbers may differ in color or shade of ink from the Treasury seal. The numbers may not be uniformly spaced or aligned. Genuine currency paper has tiny red and blue fibers embedded throughout. Often counterfeiters try to simulate these fibers by printing tiny red and blue lines on their paper. Close inspection reveals, however, that on the counterfeit note the lines are printed on the surface, not embedded in the paper. -- Source: Secret Service
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks |
