It’s an age-old crime that police say is experiencing a revival in these tough economic times.

Authorities in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Pittsfield Township are all reporting a surge in counterfeit money being passed to area retailers and restaurants this year.

In Ann Arbor, police are investigating 14 cases where people used fake bills at local grocery stores, gas stations and fast-food restaurants since Jan. 1, Detective Laura Burke said.

“It’s not a new crime at all, but to have this much of it pop up at one time is certainly unusual,” Burke said.

Her findings will be turned over to the U.S. Secret Service, which investigates all federal currency crimes.

Last week, University of Michigan police took two reports of counterfeit $20 bills passed at the U-M Medical Center cafeteria on separate days, spokeswoman Diane Brown said. Both people who used the bills told police they received them from an ATM or retailer in the area, and they’re not considered suspects, she said.

Pittsfield Detective Lt. Steve Heller said his agency is looking into eight counterfeit incidents since last August, six of which occurred since Jan. 1. Ypsilanti Police are working on four to five active counterfeit cases.

The denomination and quality of the fake bills ranges significantly, making investigators unsure whether any of the incidents are connected. In two cases Burke is investigating, she said people unwittingly passed counterfeit bills after receiving them as change from another business.

Some bogus bills don’t appear illegitimate even at first glance, Burke said, showing one example of two green-colored sheets of paper glued back-to-back that was passed at a restaurant. But others can trick even experienced eyes, such as a $5 bill on legitimate U.S. Treasury paper that was “washed” with bleach and altered to appear as a $100 bill.

“If you’re looking at it just by itself without anything to compare it to, it would probably pass,” Burke said. “And if you’re busy and have a long line of customers, you may not think twice about it.”

Police say that’s what happened at Busch’s on Ann Arbor’s north side when a man purchased a pack of bottled iced tea with a counterfeit $50 bill and received a handful of authentic cash back on Jan. 15. Police are trying to identify the man and say he may have used other fake bills around Ann Arbor on different occasions.

Officials with Busch’s declined to comment.

Stores appear to be getting more vigilant, working with police on the latest counterfeiting techniques and improving their own detection systems.

“We’re acutely aware of the problem and are changing our security techniques to adapt,” said Hiller’s Market CEO Jim Hiller. “This is not a victimless crime because all the rest of the customers end up paying for it in the end. There’s no insurance policy for this.”

Four counterfeit bills have been passed in Hiller’s seven stores around southeast Michigan since the beginning of the year.
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It is more important now then ever to make sure you are getting real dollar bills in these tough economic times. The economy unfortunately has been going on a downward spiral for the past year and does not seem to be slowing down. There is no easier way to be safe with money other then by using the counterfeit detector pen. One swipe is all it takes to make sure the money you are getting is real.