Chicago bars and restaurants are being hit harder with counterfeit $100 bills, says the Chicago Sun-Times. The business are reporting an increase in counterfeit money that’s harder to determine as fake. Up to $10,000 in bad $100 bills have been passed over the past month, according to Ala Carte Entertainment, which owns 30 restaurants and bars. The Secret Service, however, says that counterfeiting overall is decreasing; about $20,000 in bad money is passed each week in Chicago.
Twenties are the most commonly counterfeited bill, according to the Secret Service. “But it’s the hundreds that are costing us the most,” says an entertainment industry executive. Ala Carte has installed black UV lights at registers and equipped them with detection pens. The pens are five bucks each. The lights run from $20 to $25 each. Any server getting a $100 bill now must get a manager to check it out.
Link: http://www.suntimes.com/business/113455,CST-FIN-counter27.article