Full Notification

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department San Dimas Station has recently seen an increase in counterfeit currency being passed in restaurants and small businesses.  The counterfeit notes are mostly 100-dollar and 50-dollar denominations – AND most importantly, many of these bills cannot be detected by counterfeit detection pens or lights.  The counterfeit money contains various serial numbers and banknote identifiers on the bills.  San Dimas Station detectives are asking for anyone who comes into contact with this counterfeit money to immediately call San Dimas Station [(909)450-2700].  The information below and via the Secret Service links illustrate certain identifiers on real United States currency. 
 
Please use the following tips to protect yourself from becoming a victim:
 

• Consumers and retailers should examine paper currency that they receive during the course of a transaction.
• Anyone dealing in cash transactions should be aware of the security features of United States currency which are intended to deter counterfeiting and identify counterfeit bank notes.
• Compare a counterfeit bank note with a genuine one of the same denomination. Look for differences, not similarities – and check both sides!
• Counterfeit bank notes often share the same serial numbers.
• If given a counterfeit bill, make note of the passer's description and if possible, obtain a vehicle license number.  Call San Dimas Sheriff’s Station immediately.  Handle the counterfeit note as little as possible to avoid obscuring fingerprints on the bill.

 
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to contact San Dimas Station at (909)450-2700.
 
Small business owners need to be aware of the many ways to detect counterfeit money. The Secret Service offers methods to detect counterfeit bills https://www.secretservice.gov/data/KnowYourMoney.pdf
 
Examples:

• Hold a bill up to a light and look for a holograph of the face image on the bill. Both images should match. If the $100 bill has been bleached, the hologram will display an image of Abraham Lincoln, who appears on the $5 bills, instead of Benjamin Franklin.
• Looking at the bill through a light will also reveal a thin vertical strip containing text that spells out the bill’s denomination.
• Color-shifting ink: If you hold the new series bill (except the $5 note) and tilt it back and forth, please observe the numeral in the lower right hand corner as its color shifts from green to black and back.
• Watermark: Hold the bill up to a light to view the watermark in an unprinted space to the right of the portrait. The watermark can be seen from both sides of the bill since it is not printed on the bill but is imbedded in the paper.
• Security Thread: Hold he bill a light to view the security thread. You will see a thin imbedded strip running from top to bottom on the face of a banknote. In the $10 and $50 the security strip is located to the right of the portrait, and in the $5, $20 and $100, it is located just to the left of the portrait.
• Ultraviolet Glow: If the bill is held up to an ultraviolet light, the $5 bill glows blue; the $10 bill glows orange, the $20 bill glows green, the $50 bill glows yellow, and the $100 bill glows red – if they are authentic!
• Micro-printing: There are tiny micro-printing on the security threads: the $5 bill has “USA FIVE” written on the thread; the $10 bill has “USA TEN” written on the thread; the $20 bill has “USA TWENTY” written on the thread; the $50 bill has “USA 50” written on the thread; and the $100 bill has the words “USA 100” written on the security thread.  Micro printing can be found around the portrait as well as on the security threads.
• Fine Line Printing Patterns: Very fine lines have been added behind the portrait and on the reverse side scene to make it harder to reproduce.
• Comparison: Compare the feel and texture of the paper with other bills you know are authentic – EXCEPT that some counterfeit large bills are made from “washed” small-denomination bills, so they feel similar to real currency.

 
If you believe you have received a counterfeit bill, the U.S. Treasury advises you to do the following:
 

• Do not put yourself in danger.
• Do not return the bill to the passer.
• Delay the passer with some excuse, if possible.
• Observe the passer’s description – and their companions’ descriptions – and write down their vehicle license plate numbers if you can.
• Contact your local police department or call your local Secret Service office.
• Write your initials and date in the white border area of the suspected counterfeit note.
• Do not handle the counterfeit note. Place it inside a protective cover, a plastic bag, or envelope to protect it until you place it in the hands of an identified Secret Service Special Agent. You can also mail it to your nearest Secret Service office.

 
Remember, if you are passed a counterfeit bill, you own it. So when accepting cash, it pays to be knowledgeable about the crime of counterfeiting.
 
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SAN DIMAS STATION
 
San Dimas Sheriff’s Station is one of six stations within the East Patrol Division of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The Station’s jurisdiction encompasses approximately 276 square miles. In addition to serving the City of San Dimas, the station serves unincorporated communities of Azusa, Covina, Glendora, La Verne, Claremont, Pomona, the Los Angeles County portion of Mt. Baldy, a large portion of the Angeles National Forest (State Route 39), and portions of Angeles Crest Highway (Highway 2). The population for these areas is approximately one hundred and five thousand (105,000), nearly sixty sixty-nine thousand (69,000) in the unincorporated areas and more than thirty-six thousand (36,000) in the City of San Dimas.
 
San Dimas Sheriff’s Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
270 S. Walnut Avenue
San Dimas, CA 91773
(909) 450-2700
 
 
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http://local.nixle.com/lasd---san-dimas-station-los-angeles-county-sheriff/
 
And/or, in the City of San Dimas, Code Red or the Code Red mobile app.
 
The San Dimas Booster Club was established in 1991 to provide a means to raise money for the needs of auxiliary personnel and volunteers who work at the San Dimas Station.  The Booster Club has provided thousands of dollars for the purchase of equipment and supplies and to provide specialized training and education to volunteers.  Virtually all of the funding for these programs is through the efforts of the Booster Club, as neither the Sheriff’s Department nor the County of Los Angeles provides a budget for these services.  The San Dimas Sheriff’s Booster Club continues the proud tradition of meeting the needs of the volunteer/reserve program at the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station.  The Booster Club consists of people like yourself - residents, merchants, and business owners - who band together to make a positive difference in our community.  The Booster Club members and the Board of Directors are very proud of their accomplishments and invite you to join them in making this important program even more successful.  Please visit our website at: www.sdmsheriffsboosters.org.
 
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"If You See Something, Say Something"
LA Crime Stoppers: Partner to prevent or report crime by contacting your local Sheriff’s station. Or if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org
 
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LASD HEADQUARTERS:
 
Sheriff's Information Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
213-229-1700
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Jim McDonnell, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department