New information on Escanaba counterfeiting

Escanaba Public Safety has some new information about the counterfeit money that they reported on Tuesday.

One of the incidents they’re looking into involves a teenager.

Officers accuse him of passing off counterfeit $100 bills as the real thing last weekend, and they showed us the fake bills that they accuse him of using.

Most of the phony currency reported to them recently is hundreds and twenties.

“We’ve notified the financial institutions in the area and also businesses through the Chamber of Commerce,” Escanaba Public Safety Det. Lt. Darin Hunter said. “It’s like a round-robin of sorts, so they’re on the lookout for that.”

Det. Lt. Hunter specifically says the Escanaba Walgreens store has reported some funny money, but he says others have as well and officers are still investigating.

“Most of the bills that have turned up have gone through the banking or the financial institutions’ systems, and they’re the ones who’ve been bringing them to our attention,” he said. “Usually, it’s been through deposits from businesses.”

Escanaba Public Safety has released an extensive list of ways to tell if a piece of paper money is fake or genuine and what to do if you think you have some bogus currency.

We have those checklists here.