LUBBOCK, Texas — The Lubbock Police Department is warning people to pay close attention to the cash they receive when selling items, because it could be fake.
Detective Keith Anguish, with LPD’s forgery unit, said this issue is on the rise.
“I get several counterfeit cases a week, it’s dominating my forgery unit, in our department,” Anguish said.
When exchanging cash, Anguish said he would encourage people to look out for the three main identifiers on a bill: a security thread, color changing ink on the numbers, and the watermark.
Also, when exchanging money in person, he said people should do it in a public place. He said to make sure and examine it very carefully before accepting the money.
Anguish said since technology is growing, people need to be more aware of what they’re being handed.
“Anything that has an app, it has skyrocketed counterfeit cases,” Anguish said.
Using counterfeit bills is a third degree felony, meaning a person could spend up to 10 years in prison and receive a $10,000 fine.
