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Counterfeit bills still filtering through retail outlets in Giddings

4/7/09 Police are following up on at least two more cases of counterfeiting in Giddings as the fake bills continue to make their way through local retail outlets.

On April 2nd Officer Adam Shepard was advised by an off duty officer of a counterfeit $50 bill that had been passed the previous day at the Stop n Shop Convenience Store located at 389 East Austin Street.

Officer Shepard's report indicated that the bill had been faded (bleached), a description that is consistent with that of others bills that police have seized within the last few months.

Officer Shepard recovered the fake bill and was advised that the store owner would talk to the employee who was on duty to see if they could determine who used the bill at the store.

The other incident, which is also being investigated by Giddings Police, involved a financial institution that located a counterfeit bill in one of their retail customer's deposits. On April 1st Giddings Police Officer Joseph Harrison was alerted by Laura Behrens, a representative from Classic Bank, of a phony $50 bill that was included in a bank deposit made by Airgas Southwest.

Representatives from Airgas Southwest are trying to trace the passing of the bill, using daily billing records to try and determine who is responsible for using the mock money.

In Giddings this year at least 5 other businesses have been affected by the problem of counterfeiting. All of the cased, which date back to February are still being investigated.

Giddings Police investigate several cases of counterfeiting

3/31/09 Giddings police are currently investigating several cases of counterfeiting after receiving complaints from local businesses where the bills were passed and financial institutions who found the bill in deposits.

Officials through out the United States have noticed a spike in the incidents of passing fake bills and some have blamed the problem on the poor economy.

On the morning of March 26, 2009 Giddings Police Detective Carvin was dispatched to Classic Bank located on Highway 290 Giddings. The call was placed in reference to a business that had made a deposit at the bank that contained counterfeit bills. Detective Carvin spoke with bank employees about a deposit from the Valero Gas Station in Giddings that contained a fake $50.00 bill.

According to the police department incident report, Detective Carvin stated that the bill in question was a $5 bill that had been "bleached" and reprinted with $50 bill graphics". Detective Carvin reported that the bill contained the thread which bears "USA FIVE" and the Abraham Lincoln watermark, confirming that it was originally a $5.00. Detective Carvin reported that she took the fake bill and logged it into evidence at that time.

Shortly thereafter, Detective Carvin received notice of another counterfeit $50 bill at First National Bank. Employees at First National Bank stated that this bill was included in a deposit made by McDonald's. The bill in this incident was also bleached.

Detective Carvin contacted Secret Service Agent Kyle Smith who advised that bill had been passed in League City, Livingston, Houston and Crosby. In each of these incidences the bills had the same serial number as the bill passed at the Valero in Giddings.

Detective Carvin was able to obtain surveillance video from Valero. At approximately 11:45 p.m. a Hispanic man used the fake $50 bill to pay for a quart of oil. Detective Carvin reported that the man appeared to be approximately 5'9" - 6'0" and about 240 lbs. She reported that he had a large belly and a very short haircut. The same suspect was also captured on the Dollar General surveillance video. Detective Carvin contacted McDonald's and they said they would prepare a copy of their video and have it available on Friday morning.

Detective Carvin contacted Walmart and they stated that they too had received a fake $20 bill but had not yet called the police to report the incident.

Altogether at least 4 businesses in Giddings were hit on Wednesday and Thursday by criminals passing counterfeit bills. In February and March counterfeit bills were used at the Citgo on N. Main in Giddings.

As reported by Lee County Live on March 3, 2009, law enforcement officials from around the country were reporting that incidents of counterfeiting are on the rise. The bad economy is reportedly one of the main reasons for the spike in this crime. One report by USA Today stated that 28% more counterfeiters were arrested in 2008, as compared to 2007. In 2008, counterfeiters passed $64.4 million, an increase of 5% over 2007.

As of Monday, all of the cases in Giddings were still under investigation.



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	Counterfeit bills still filtering through retail outlets in Giddings 4/7/09 Police are following up on at least two more cases of counterfeiting in Giddings as the fake bills continue to make their way through local retail outlets. On April 2nd Officer Adam Shepard was advised by an off duty officer of a counterfeit $50 bill that had been passed the previous day at the Stop n Shop Convenience Store located at 389 East Austin Street. Officer Shepard's report indicated that the bill had been faded (bleached), a description that is consistent with that of others bills that police have seized within the last few months. Officer Shepard recovered the fake bill and was advised that the store owner would talk to the employee who was on duty to see if they could determine who used the bill at the store. The other incident, which is also being investigated by Giddings Police, involved a financial institution that located a counterfeit bill in one of their retail customer's deposits. On April 1st Giddings Police Officer Joseph Harrison was alerted by Laura Behrens, a representative from Classic Bank, of a phony $50 bill that was included in a bank deposit made by Airgas Southwest. Representatives from Airgas Southwest are trying to trace the passing of the bill, using daily billing records to try and determine who is responsible for using the mock money. In Giddings this year at least 5 other businesses have been affected by the problem of counterfeiting. All of the cased, which date back to February are still being investigated. Giddings Police investigate several cases of counterfeiting 3/31/09 Giddings police are currently investigating several cases of counterfeiting after receiving complaints from local businesses where the bills were passed and financial institutions who found the bill in deposits. Officials through out the United States have noticed a spike in the incidents of passing fake bills and some have blamed the problem on the poor economy. On the morning of March 26, 2009 Giddings Police Detective Carvin was dispatched to Classic Bank located on Highway 290 Giddings. The call was placed in reference to a business that had made a deposit at the bank that contained counterfeit bills. Detective Carvin spoke with bank employees about a deposit from the Valero Gas Station in Giddings that contained a fake $50.00 bill. According to the police department incident report, Detective Carvin stated that the bill in question was a $5 bill that had been "bleached" and reprinted with $50 bill graphics". Detective Carvin reported that the bill contained the thread which bears "USA FIVE" and the Abraham Lincoln watermark, confirming that it was originally a $5.00. Detective Carvin reported that she took the fake bill and logged it into evidence at that time. Shortly thereafter, Detective Carvin received notice of another counterfeit $50 bill at First National Bank. Employees at First National Bank stated that this bill was included in a deposit made by McDonald's. The bill in this incident was also bleached. Detective Carvin contacted Secret Service Agent Kyle Smith who advised that bill had been passed in League City, Livingston, Houston and Crosby. In each of these incidences the bills had the same serial number as the bill passed at the Valero in Giddings. Detective Carvin was able to obtain surveillance video from Valero. At approximately 11:45 p.m. a Hispanic man used the fake $50 bill to pay for a quart of oil. Detective Carvin reported that the man appeared to be approximately 5'9" - 6'0" and about 240 lbs. She reported that he had a large belly and a very short haircut. The same suspect was also captured on the Dollar General surveillance video. Detective Carvin contacted McDonald's and they said they would prepare a copy of their video and have it available on Friday morning. Detective Carvin contacted Walmart and they stated that they too had received a fake $20 bill but had not yet called the police to report the incident. Altogether at least 4 businesses in Giddings were hit on Wednesday and Thursday by criminals passing counterfeit bills. In February and March counterfeit bills were used at the Citgo on N. Main in Giddings. As reported by Lee County Live on March 3, 2009, law enforcement officials from around the country were reporting that incidents of counterfeiting are on the rise. The bad economy is reportedly one of the main reasons for the spike in this crime. One report by USA Today stated that 28% more counterfeiters were arrested in 2008, as compared to 2007. In 2008, counterfeiters passed $64.4 million, an increase of 5% over 2007. As of Monday, all of the cases in Giddings were still under investigation.	Giddings Weather Forecast, TX OOPS! You forgot to upload swfobject.js ! You must upload this file for your gallery to work.