Gloucester Township police warn to look out for ‘movie money’ scam as fake bills circulate
Police noted that the fake money is nearly identical to real bills from a visual standpoint, with the texture and size being the same. The only visible difference is a change in wording on the bill.
Fake currency made for movies has been passing for legitimate money, according to members of the Gloucester Township Police Department.
There have been multiple recent cases of “movie money,” also referred to as “Hollywood money” or “motion picture money,” being used instead of real currency in retail stores.
Gloucester Township police noted that the fake money is nearly identical to real bills from a visual standpoint, with the texture and size being the same. The only visible difference is a change in wording on the bill.
All movie money has “motion picture purposes” or similar phrasing on the bills. Other phrases found on the fake bills have been “for motion picture use only,” “motion picture use” and “in copy we trust.”
The changed phrases tend to be at the top of the bill, replacing the legitimate phrases such as “federal reserve note,” “the United States of America” and “in God we trust.”
These fake bills don’t pass other security measures, including counterfeit pens, counterfeit detector lights and use of watermarks or holograms.
Cashiers at retail stores in the area are reminded to run random checks on even smaller denomination bills and to visually check all money collected.
How to spot counterfeit money
When receiving money, the Gloucester Township police recommend using the “three Rs.”
Read the bill: Check the wording and look for security features such as watermarks, holograms and security threads that are embedded into the bill.
Repeat: Stay vigilant and check every bill you receive.
Report: Contact the police if you come across any suspected counterfeit currency or movie money that’s being passed off as real bills.