Fake $100 bills hit several Hamilton County stores

SHERIDAN, Ind (WISH) – Officers are warning store owners throughout Hamilton County to be on the lookout for fake money.

It’s a crime that can leave an owner short, and it can impact shoppers who receive it as change. The problem began in Sheridan, and has spread to Cicero and Arcadia.

An investigation that has some off guard.

“In small town like this, it’s unheard of,” Tomarsha’s Deli owner Thomas Deshaon said. “It is shocking, especially for a small town because we don’t have stuff like this that comes through,” Sheridan Officer Kevin Garrison.

Officers say three stores were hit by fake bills this month. And at Subway, Dairy Queen, and Dollar General, each bill passed a counterfeit pen swipe.

“I’ve seen some pretty bad counterfeits, but these are good,” Garrison said.

Officers said someone bleached real money, and printed a one hundred dollar bill on the paper. While it looks real, officers say the same serial number is on each one.

Because it’s an older bill, you don’t see a water mark, or president’s head, that you might see with the newer currency. Officers said to tell if it’s fake, it might feel funny. If it does, refuse to take it, get a description of the person trying to use it and call police.

Officers did get a good description. They say cameras caught three men using the money.

So far they haven’t been able to figure out who they are.

“I do not believe they’re locals, they don’t look familiar,” Garrison said.

To help spread the word, officers went to stores to talk with owners, including Thomas Deshaon. The pizza shop owner didn’t receive the counterfeit money, but says this crime can have a big impact.

“You lose a $100 dollars on something like that, it can hurt you,” Deshaon said. Especially, he said, in a small town such as Sheridan, where that transaction can be the difference between a good and bad day.

In addition to the same serial number, each bill says it was from the year 1985. The serial number is, A05392930A.