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stoop sale counterfeit $ scam-- beware — Brooklynian

stoop sale counterfeit $ scam-- beware

spec*
spec*
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights
hey neighbors--
a few folks had a stoop sale today on the corner of park and vanderbilt. turns
out when one of us tried to use some of the $ she learned we had been given two fairly undetectable counterfeit 20$ bills in the sale-- and given back the counterfeiter 15-18$ in change on two separate occasions. obviously we've been scammed for the cash. we think we know by whom-- and i think this person's been going around and doing this at many stoop sales in brooklyn. just a warning to check the 20$ bills for all those stoop sale-ers. these counterfeit bills are shiny and a little smaller and do not appear real when held up to the light. not everyone is honest in our hoods and it sucks to have our wholesome little sale soured. it's just not cool, it's illegal, and it's not like we're raking in the dough selling off our two dollar books and cds to bolster our student loans. stoop sale enterpeneurs, beware!
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Comments

  • leet
    leet
    FYI - That's a federal crime, and you have evidence.
  • spec*
    spec*
    i think we would need others to confirm the trend--and identify the person. right now it's just a suspicion of one person who had strange behavior around purchasing a few items-- going back to a house to get money, coming back again, bringing another person, and using 20$ bills on separate occasions to make small purchases.
  • leet
    leet
    Well, I doubt the cops expect you to solve the crime. As a citizen, though, you might consider sharing your experience, and the counterfeit bills, with the police. Consider it a duty, even. They may wish to investigate. You don't know the extent of the crime, after all. It could be bigger than you realize. Or not, but that's for an investigator to determine, no?
  • spec*
    spec*
    good points to think about-- and other local businesses too busy to hold each 20 up to the light may be suffering as well. thanks for the perspective.
  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior
    call the secret service. they handle this type of problems. they probably could lift prints or something off those things.
  • sarahb
    sarahb
    i am the person selling stuff w/ spec* who wound up with the counterfeit bills... upon further inspection this morning, i found out that we came away with THREE fake 20s. not cool!

    what's more, i went up to a guy selling records on park place today to warn him about the scammer -- and he too had gotten a fake 20 yesterday. we agreed about who the guy was that did it.

    moral of story: if you are having a stoop sale, check the bills you get. the fake 20s are obviously fake when held up against real 20s (they are slightly smaller, color a little off, paper is smooth) but seem real if you are not really paying attention. next time i will know!
  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior
    dang that sucks :(. its one thing ripping off big companies, a whole another thing ripping off individuals. if that guy is found should be shot and quartered and than minced and deep fried.
  • whyfi
    whyfi
    We should set up a sting.
  • kick rocks!!!!
    kick rocks!!!!
    I saw ripped up $50's on the sidewalk St.J's and Washington, right before you hit the laundry mat on Saturday. From first glance the rather large chunks laying on the ground looked real, until further inspection it was obvious the were fake. The color on the back side was wonky.
  • liftandcut
    liftandcut
    Keep your cellphone cameras ready and get a snapshot. Chances are these people are probably so addicted to buying stuff with fake bills, they can't stop, and will show themselves again soon. What's the description of the fake bill givers? Please don't say tall and Black...
  • sarahb
    sarahb
    liftandcut wrote: What's the description of the fake bill givers? Please don't say tall and Black...
    Sorry to disappoint... not sure if he was tall or not, and my memory is a little fuzzy on his face, but he came up on a bike, African American (medium skin tone), 40s or 50s, a had a smattering of tattoos and wearing a baseball hat and a NJ Nets jersey. (Nets = Ratner connection!!?!? j/k.)

    The suspicious behavior (which the guy at the stoop sale across the street also noted) was that he kept on leaving and coming back. First he picked out some CDs of mine he wanted, then said he had to run to his mother's house so could I hold them for him. I did, and he came back later and bought them with a $20, getting probably $16 in change from me. Then an hour or so later he came back again, this time with another guy (sorry, really fuzzy on what that person looked like) and basically did the same thing, bought something small with a 20. We wound up w/ 3 of the fake 20s, so either he made three purchases, or his friend also made a purchase, I'm not sure.

    I totally get that whole unreliable eyewitness thing now -- when you are dealing with strangers all day, it is hard to remember what specific people look like.
  • dailyheights
    dailyheights
    In terms of raising awareness, both the New York Times and New York magazine have picked up on your post:

    http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/blogtalk-funny-money-on-the-slope/
    http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2007/09/trying_to_get_to_kow_your_east.html
  • sterling sasquatch
    sterling sasquatch
    A little bit off topic, but I received a fake $20 from one of the dry cleaners on Washington about 2 months ago...
  • liftandcut
    liftandcut
    A little bit off topic, but I received a fake $20 from one of the dry cleaners on Washington about 2 months ago...
    Say word! Did you realize that it was fake when you tried to use it, or did you notice it yourself?
  • jamzer
    jamzer
    Hey Mods? Do you think this should be cross posted to the other nab boards? We are still in peak stoop sale season in the Slope. Just a thought.
  • dailyheights
    dailyheights
    done.
  • jackson
    jackson
    WhyFi wrote: We should set up a sting.
    I am down!
  • dailyheights
    dailyheights
    Anyone having a stoop sale this weekend? This would be the weekend to do it... this post has been referenced on at least 5 high-profile blogs, so I think it's only a matter of time before word gets around and the culprits get wise.
  • sarahb
    sarahb
    Maybe "Help Me Howard" will get involved and we can get our $60 back!!!

    I called the local Secret Service office yesterday and was told to either mail it in directly to them or bring it into any bank and fill out a form and the bank will mail it to them. They also said I could go the police precinct route and go through whatever they want me to do and then the police would send it to them. But all counterfeit roads lead back to the Secret Service. I think I will stop by the precinct tonight just to report it, though I'm sure they've got bigger things to worry about.
  • dailyheights
    dailyheights
    I tried to fill out the "Help Me Howard" contact form but have no idea if it worked. If anybody wants to try the HELP ME HOWARD HOTLINE, it's
    212-210-2490

    http://cw11.trb.com/news/local/eveningnews/wpix-howardhome,0,2387349.htmlstory
  • anthropoid
    anthropoid
    I am having a stoop sale this Saturday on Union. Any tips? Anyone know where to get one of those markers that detect fake bills?
  • alafairnadia
    alafairnadia
    just have a real one handy and compare it - size, shape, color. that's all.
  • sarahb
    sarahb
    anthropoid wrote: I am having a stoop sale this Saturday on Union. Any tips? Anyone know where to get one of those markers that detect fake bills?
    If you are really looking, you should be able to detect any fakes pretty easily. Hold it up to a real $20 -- the fake ones I got are about a quarter of an inch smaller. The paper is noticably smoother. You can also look for the watermark and the little thread of paper that runs vertically along one side of the bill -- fakes don't have these. For the ones I got at least, the size is the biggest giveaway.

    Here is the Secret Service counterfeit site:
    http://www.treas.gov/usss/know_your_money.shtml
  • anthropoid
    anthropoid
    sarahb wrote: [quote=anthropoid]I am having a stoop sale this Saturday on Union. Any tips? Anyone know where to get one of those markers that detect fake bills?
    If you are really looking, you should be able to detect any fakes pretty easily. Hold it up to a real $20 -- the fake ones I got are about a quarter of an inch smaller. The paper is noticably smoother. You can also look for the watermark and the little thread of paper that runs vertically along one side of the bill -- fakes don't have these. For the ones I got at least, the size is the biggest giveaway.

    Here is the Secret Service counterfeit site:
    http://www.treas.gov/usss/know_your_money.shtmlThat's helpful - thanks for the tip. And feel free to swing around and buy things using real 20-dollar bills! It will be across the street from the Co-op on Union.
  • liftandcut
    liftandcut
    just have a real one handy and compare it - size, shape, color. that's all.
    Hmm, are we still talking bills, or have you been feeling a little frisky lately?
  • whyfi
    whyfi
    liftandcut wrote:
    just have a real one handy and compare it - size, shape, color. that's all.
    Hmm, are we still talking bills, or have you been feeling a little frisky lately?
    "So... ya got change for this...?"
  • ba
    ba
    To the poster above who received a fake 20 at dry cleaners in the neighborhood, your post was so not irrelevant!!
    A friend of mine (lives and works in the neighborhood) recently got a fake $20 from somewhere near by since its basically the only place he spends his money. He's not a stoop sale goer though.
    He didn't notice and tried to use it at a bodega that took it away.
    On those many times that I pay with bills bigger than a $20 (not so much!), I'll probably check any I get.
  • vanilla
    vanilla
    Ba wrote: To the poster above who received a fake 20 at dry cleaners in the neighborhood, your post was so not irrelevant!!
    A friend of mine (lives and works in the neighborhood) recently got a fake $20 from somewhere near by since its basically the only place he spends his money. He's not a stoop sale goer though.
    He didn't notice and tried to use it at a bodega that took it away.
    On those many times that I pay with bills bigger than a $20 (not so much!), I'll probably check any I get.
    if he didn't notice and then spent it and the bill was accepted --- how did your friend come to the conclusion that it was indeed fake?!
  • michaelkeys
    michaelkeys
    Just in general it's probably a good idea to check your $20 bills, regardless of their provenance. A neighbor of mine inadvertently passed a fake one at the corner bodega--they told him about it the next time he came by-- and he only gets cash from his bank's ATMs!
  • sterling sasquatch
    sterling sasquatch
    liftandcut wrote:
    A little bit off topic, but I received a fake $20 from one of the dry cleaners on Washington about 2 months ago...
    Say word! Did you realize that it was fake when you tried to use it, or did you notice it yourself?
    No, I didnt realize it was fake until I got to work in the city and the deli I go to every day wouldnt accept it. Taking a closer glance at it, it was pretty easy to tell it was fake, but picking up my dry cleaning after rolling out of bed early in the morning... wasnt focusing on whether my change was real or fake - I do now.
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