Police across Chester County are looking for suspects in counterfeit money case

WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) – West Chester police are investigating after counterfeit money was found circulating at a CVS pharmacy in East Bradford Township, Chester County, over the weekend.

It happened around 8pm on Sunday when police rushed to the store on Miles Road.

According to police, the suspects came in with the counterfeit money and demanded a deposit via their Cash App in return.

“They have the app on their phone, the pharmacy scans the barcode into their Cash App and it registers how much they want – $100 or $200, whatever. You pay the cashier $200 and once the transaction is complete, the amount appears in your app,” said Dave March, West Chester Police Department spokesman.

Investigators released surveillance images of the suspects on Monday and hope the public can help them identify the men caught on camera.

Authorities are also investigating whether this incident could be connected to a counterfeiting case at Kennett Square.

Police say on May 30 at around 9:15 p.m., two men dispensed a counterfeit $100 bill at Star Gas. & Diesel on Cypress Street.

According to authorities, the shop owner had stated that he had seen the men in this case a few weeks earlier, but he had recognized the scheme and initially confiscated the bill.

Kennett Square Police have also released surveillance images of these suspects in hopes the public can help identify them.

Last year, the US secret service seized counterfeit money worth almost $22 million.

In May 2023, Philadelphia Customs and Border Protection agents, along with the Secret Service, seized over $14 million worth of counterfeit currency from several smuggling attempts involving multi-million dollar counterfeit currency.

The Secret Service advises paying attention to things like watermarks, flaking ink and serial numbers on banknotes.

According to police, it is important that both business owners and consumers know how to recognize fraudulent money.

“You could go to a store and get it as change or go to the bank and get it as change,” March said.

These local cases may only involve a few hundred dollars, but police want to get rid of the counterfeit money and those who sell it on the street.

Anyone with information about these incidents should contact the police.