Reno police observe more skimmers and counterfeit money | News

Reno police are seeing an increase in cases of counterfeit money, from one-dollar bills to one-hundred-dollar bills.

Whether you’re at a grocery store, a bank, or even making online sales like through Facebook Marketplace, it’s important to know the different security features associated with each individual banknote.

“If you know you have a real hundred-dollar bill, you can often hold it in one hand and then take another bill that you just get and do some sort of touch test as a first step,” says Chris Johnson, Reno Police Department spokesman.

Johnson says you can also check to see if the watermarks reflect the same president on the bill. He says there are also different colored fibers inside and you should look for the blue stripe on the hundred dollar bill.

Reno Police have also noted an increase in fraudulent bank checks and recommend taking additional measures to avoid becoming a victim of such fraud.

“So if you want to sell an expensive item like a car or something like that and you need a cashier’s check to do it, I would strongly recommend that you go to the bank with the person who wants to buy the car and have the cashier’s check written in your presence,” Johnson says.

Counterfeit money is not the only type of fraud that the police are increasingly noticing. There are also increasing reports of skimming devices.

These are devices that are placed above ATMs, card readers and gas stations. When you insert your card, the skimmer captures your card information. This allows fraudsters to either sell your card information or use it for their own benefit.

But RPD says there is a way to avoid them.

“There should be seals on the door. If the seal is broken, it means there may be a skimming device in play or inside the ATM or gas pump.”

Johnson recommends notifying the store immediately if the seal is broken or removed.

Reno Police have contacted businesses to make them aware of this scam and say they are taking proactive steps to prevent these types of scams.

They say if a skimmer is found, they do not hold the company liable because in most cases an individual commits the crime by installing the skimmer without the company’s knowledge.

Reno Police advise you to be sure to check your banking records to see if you may have fallen victim to a skimmer.

“So if you notice a transaction that you don’t know about, immediately report it to the bank as fraudulent or investigate it. Then you can see whether or not someone got my credit card information. Then you can block the credit card and get a new one.”

Reno police recommend notifying the company as soon as possible if you spot a skimmer, and reporting counterfeit money to police while providing as much information about the scammer as possible.