Mi
Casa es Su Casa, that's the name of her shop, and how Josephine Stanley treats
her customers at the Barn Yard Flea Market. But after being cheated by a man
who gave her a counterfeit bill, she says she feels taken advantage of.
"I
was mad, you know, that's my money; that's my merchandise that he took," Stanley said.
While
selling holiday goodies, Stanley says she was helping a man with gold teeth pick
out a gift for his girlfriend. She said he paid for the $30 gift with a one
hundred dollar bill. She gave him his change then left. Days later she
discovered the bill was a fake; a trick many small business owners fall victim
to.
"What's
happening is drug dealers and cartels and such are printing money in other
countries and loading into their cocaine shipments into America and sending
millions and millions and millions of counterfeit hundred dollar bills into
America," said Griff Griffin, executive director of Augusta Crime Stoppers.
To
make sure your bill isn't counterfeit check to see if there's a hologram. Hold
it up to the light and you'll be able to see it. Also, scratch the bill. If it
feels like paper, it's counterfeit. It should feel like fabric. Finally, check the monetary value on the strip, which is on the right side of his
face.
But those tests don't always
guarantee you have a genuine bill. Even banks let some counterfeit cash slip
through the cracks.
While
we were at the flea market, we met a woman who found out her credit union gave
her a fake one hundred dollar bill.
"I
was like ‘Oh! Am I going to get my money back from where I got it?'" said Blenda Collins, she was shopping at the BarnYard Flea Market.
That's how Stanley hopes she'll never feel
again. But just to be sure, she's double checking every bill coming into her
store, so she won't be duped again.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WFXG, a Raycom Media Station.
