CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office launched a nationwide search to find Andrea Maher. She’s wanted for making $8,000 in counterfeit cash and circulating some of that money throughout the county.
Lacy Lowe shops in Punta Gorda and said she’s concerned that money will get circulated back out to customers.
“Until they find her, she’s just going to keep robbing people,” she said. “I think they should do a better job in training employees. That way they’re not handing back out the fake cash.”
A lot of the fake cash created by Maher made its way through local drive-thrus and CVS stores.
Corporal Paul Guyton, a fraud specialist with Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said there are a few different ways to identify fake cash.
“The $5 note in the [bottom] right-hand corner is going to have a numeric five watermark,” he said.
He added fake $5 bills will not have that feature. He said look at the big number in the bottom right corner to determine the authenticity of bigger denomination bills.
“One of the quick ways is to look at the numeric on the note with 10’s, 20’s, 50’s and 100’s. It’s going to be reflective ink,” he said.
If you look through a magnifying glass for larger fake bills, you’ll see a lot of tiny multi-colored dots. Guyton said that’s because counterfeiters use an ink jet print to make them.
Maher was arrested for the counterfeit money in 2017, but then bailed out of jail and never showed up for trial last year. CCSO said they’re launching a nationwide search to find her. They said she was last seen in New York City.
Guyton added if you see Maher or fake cash, no matter what city you’re in, call law enforcement as soon as possible.
