If you’ve ever worked a retail or service job, you’ve probably experienced rude customers or cleaning up messes someone else made, or about a thousand other really annoying, soul-sucking things. But one thing you don’t encounter a whole lot is people trying to pay with counterfeit money.
Don’t get me wrong, that definitely happens more than you’d think. Unfortunately, some workers fall for fake money. But other times, the fake bills are so unbelievably obvious that you have to wonder if the scammer thinks all retail workers are dumb or something.
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One Starbucks employee posted a picture of some very obviously fake $20 bills to Reddit’s Funny community, and everyone had a laugh.
It Seems Like The Employee Was Handed $80 Worth Of Fake Bills.
They Actually Look Pretty Convincing…
That is, until you notice the Chinese characters written on the seal. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but the United States doesn’t have Chinese on any of its currencies. That alone is a pretty telltale sign that these bills are fake.
But if you look at the bills again, you’ll notice another sign. Most of the bills have brown streaks of marker on them, which is most likely from a counterfeit detector pen. The ink from those pens turns yellow when used on actual US currency. When they’re brown like the ones in the picture, they’re fake. Though, any eagle-eyed cashier wouldn’t need to use a pen to know that.
Reddit Users React To The Fake Bills.
One user joked about how expensive Starbucks drinks are, though other users in the comment section were quick to point out that the scammer was probably trying to buy gift cards with that much fake money. Still, that didn’t stop others from cracking more jokes.
Other Users Share Their Experiences Having To Deal With Counterfeits.
Apparently, scammers really do think that cashiers don’t know what dollar bills look like. Though, it seems like some of them have been able to get away with just photocopying money and handing it in, which is honestly just baffling.
You Can Tell That A Bunch Of Commenters Have Worked Retail.
One user said the dreaded phrase that every cashier has heard at least once: “Don’t worry, they’re good. I just printed them.” It’s pretty amazing how so many people tell this exact joke to cashiers.
Even after being out of retail for years, that comment made me groan out loud.
