The Lee County Sheriff's Office says it is investigating three incidents of counterfeiting at three separate businesses between October 9th and October 16th.
In September, someone passed a fake bill at Smoke N Pit Bar-B-Que in North Ft. Myers. It isn't the first time that's happened to the establishment.
"We've seen 5's, 10s, all the way up to the 100's," said server Kirsten Polly.
The 20 dollar bill is the most counterfeited denomination.
"What these counterfeiters do is pick a store that is very busy, so that the store clerk is going to have less time to check on the quality of that currency," said retired police chief Walt Zalisko
Improvements with color and inkjet printers are also making it easier for counterfeiters to hone their craft.
"Also the quality of the paper, there is such a large variety of the textures available," said Zalisko.
He reccomends businesses invest in a special pen or light that can detect bogus bills.
"Sometimes they don't work, whether its the ink in the marker itself, or it's something else, like they put something over the paper," said Polly.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office is investigating three counterfeiting cases. Someone passed a hundred dollar bill at a Publix off U.S. 17 and a 20 dollar bill at the Super Day Express on McCall Road.
A suspicous bill was found by a resident on Waterside Street.
No arrests have been made in these cases. Counterfeiting cases are also handled by the U.S. Secret Service.
