The $100 bills bore a clear disclaimer on both sides. “Only Motion Picture Purposes.”
One scammer in Winston County realized they could try and cash in on the movie props bought online:
Under federal law, movie prop money must not look too similar to the real thing. First, it must be one sided. Second, it must be less than three-quarters in size, or more than one and one-half.
The Louisville Police Department recently confiscated over $7,000 in this fake currency. Several incidents of the bills being used had been reported before an arrest was made.
On the Louisville Facebook page, the Department noted to the public, "We would like to ask businesses and citizens to pay special attention to bills passed. If you come into contact with anyone attempting to pass counterfeit money or money orders, please contact the Louisville Police Department."
Con artists generally use two-sided fakes that are identical in size to real U.S. currency.
The illegal use of such notes is a growing problem. The U.S. Secret Service recently noted that movie prop bills accounted last fiscal year for 3.9% of all counterfeit money passed in the United States. Four years ago, the Secret Service didn’t even give such money its own category.
Agents in Los Angeles recently seized more than $280 million worth of movie prop money that had been shipped to the U.S. from Turkey, he said. Additional shipments from Russia have also been recovered in New York.
Other crime reports:
The Louisville Police Department is investigating a case of theft that occurred at Walmart Super Center on February 23rd. The suspect was caught on camera leaving the property after breaking into a storage space and taking approximately 8 Everstart car batteries. The suspect’s vehicle is a white pick-up identified as a GMC single cab with black door openers and centered GMC badge on the tailgate.
If any information that leads to the identity of any suspect(s) please contact the department. (662)773-3511
