Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 11 Location: prospect heights
Sat Sep 08, 07 10:04 pm EST
hey neighbors--
a few folks had a stoop sale today on the corner of park and vanderbilt. turns
out when one of us tried to use some of the $ she learned we had been given two fairly undetectable counterfeit 20$ bills in the sale-- and given back the counterfeiter 15-18$ in change on two separate occasions. obviously we've been scammed for the cash. we think we know by whom-- and i think this person's been going around and doing this at many stoop sales in brooklyn. just a warning to check the 20$ bills for all those stoop sale-ers. these counterfeit bills are shiny and a little smaller and do not appear real when held up to the light. not everyone is honest in our hoods and it sucks to have our wholesome little sale soured. it's just not cool, it's illegal, and it's not like we're raking in the dough selling off our two dollar books and cds to bolster our student loans. stoop sale enterpeneurs, beware! _________________ loving life
leet Regular
Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 167
Sat Sep 08, 07 10:39 pm EST
FYI - That's a federal crime, and you have evidence.
spec* Newbie
Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 11 Location: prospect heights
Sat Sep 08, 07 10:52 pm EST
i think we would need others to confirm the trend--and identify the person. right now it's just a suspicion of one person who had strange behavior around purchasing a few items-- going back to a house to get money, coming back again, bringing another person, and using 20$ bills on separate occasions to make small purchases. _________________ loving life
leet Regular
Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 167
Sat Sep 08, 07 11:04 pm EST
Well, I doubt the cops expect you to solve the crime. As a citizen, though, you might consider sharing your experience, and the counterfeit bills, with the police. Consider it a duty, even. They may wish to investigate. You don't know the extent of the crime, after all. It could be bigger than you realize. Or not, but that's for an investigator to determine, no?
spec* Newbie
Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 11 Location: prospect heights
Sat Sep 08, 07 11:08 pm EST
good points to think about-- and other local businesses too busy to hold each 20 up to the light may be suffering as well. thanks for the perspective. _________________ loving life
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sat Sep 08, 07 11:31 pm EST
call the secret service. they handle this type of problems. they probably could lift prints or something off those things. _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Posts: 101 Location: Place du Sterling
Sun Sep 09, 07 10:29 pm EST
i am the person selling stuff w/ spec* who wound up with the counterfeit bills... upon further inspection this morning, i found out that we came away with THREE fake 20s. not cool!
what's more, i went up to a guy selling records on park place today to warn him about the scammer -- and he too had gotten a fake 20 yesterday. we agreed about who the guy was that did it.
moral of story: if you are having a stoop sale, check the bills you get. the fake 20s are obviously fake when held up against real 20s (they are slightly smaller, color a little off, paper is smooth) but seem real if you are not really paying attention. next time i will know!
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sun Sep 09, 07 11:15 pm EST
dang that sucks . its one thing ripping off big companies, a whole another thing ripping off individuals. if that guy is found should be shot and quartered and than minced and deep fried. _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 4389 Location: In the Groove
Mon Sep 10, 07 6:10 am EST
We should set up a sting. _________________ ...not that there's anything wrong with that.
kick rocks!!!! Regular
Joined: 14 Aug 2007 Posts: 108 Location: St.Johns/Underhill
Mon Sep 10, 07 12:30 pm EST
I saw ripped up $50's on the sidewalk St.J's and Washington, right before you hit the laundry mat on Saturday. From first glance the rather large chunks laying on the ground looked real, until further inspection it was obvious the were fake. The color on the back side was wonky. _________________ Loving PH since '98!
liftandcut Wannabe ProHi Mayor
Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 468
Mon Sep 10, 07 12:53 pm EST
Keep your cellphone cameras ready and get a snapshot. Chances are these people are probably so addicted to buying stuff with fake bills, they can't stop, and will show themselves again soon. What's the description of the fake bill givers? Please don't say tall and Black...
sarahb borderline on the cat-lady thing
Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Posts: 101 Location: Place du Sterling
Mon Sep 10, 07 3:30 pm EST
liftandcut wrote:
What's the description of the fake bill givers? Please don't say tall and Black...
Sorry to disappoint... not sure if he was tall or not, and my memory is a little fuzzy on his face, but he came up on a bike, African American (medium skin tone), 40s or 50s, a had a smattering of tattoos and wearing a baseball hat and a NJ Nets jersey. (Nets = Ratner connection!!?!? j/k.)
The suspicious behavior (which the guy at the stoop sale across the street also noted) was that he kept on leaving and coming back. First he picked out some CDs of mine he wanted, then said he had to run to his mother's house so could I hold them for him. I did, and he came back later and bought them with a $20, getting probably $16 in change from me. Then an hour or so later he came back again, this time with another guy (sorry, really fuzzy on what that person looked like) and basically did the same thing, bought something small with a 20. We wound up w/ 3 of the fake 20s, so either he made three purchases, or his friend also made a purchase, I'm not sure.
I totally get that whole unreliable eyewitness thing now -- when you are dealing with strangers all day, it is hard to remember what specific people look like.
dailyheights Honorary Fellow
Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 3619 Location: Prospect Heights State of Mind
Mon Sep 10, 07 5:23 pm EST
In terms of raising awareness, both the New York Times and New York magazine have picked up on your post:
A little bit off topic, but I received a fake $20 from one of the dry cleaners on Washington about 2 months ago...
liftandcut Wannabe ProHi Mayor
Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 468
Tue Sep 11, 07 9:03 am EST
Quote:
A little bit off topic, but I received a fake $20 from one of the dry cleaners on Washington about 2 months ago...
Say word! Did you realize that it was fake when you tried to use it, or did you notice it yourself?
Jamzer Lifer
Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 911 Location: Park F'ing Slope
Tue Sep 11, 07 9:26 am EST
Hey Mods? Do you think this should be cross posted to the other nab boards? We are still in peak stoop sale season in the Slope. Just a thought.
dailyheights Honorary Fellow
Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 3619 Location: Prospect Heights State of Mind
Tue Sep 11, 07 9:48 am EST
done.
jackson Oh my he's so gangsta!
Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 122 Location: Classon Ave
Tue Sep 11, 07 2:02 pm EST
WhyFi wrote:
We should set up a sting.
I am down!
dailyheights Honorary Fellow
Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 3619 Location: Prospect Heights State of Mind
Tue Sep 11, 07 2:12 pm EST
Anyone having a stoop sale this weekend? This would be the weekend to do it... this post has been referenced on at least 5 high-profile blogs, so I think it's only a matter of time before word gets around and the culprits get wise.
sarahb borderline on the cat-lady thing
Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Posts: 101 Location: Place du Sterling
Tue Sep 11, 07 2:58 pm EST
Maybe "Help Me Howard" will get involved and we can get our $60 back!!!
I called the local Secret Service office yesterday and was told to either mail it in directly to them or bring it into any bank and fill out a form and the bank will mail it to them. They also said I could go the police precinct route and go through whatever they want me to do and then the police would send it to them. But all counterfeit roads lead back to the Secret Service. I think I will stop by the precinct tonight just to report it, though I'm sure they've got bigger things to worry about.
dailyheights Honorary Fellow
Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 3619 Location: Prospect Heights State of Mind
Tue Sep 11, 07 3:46 pm EST
I tried to fill out the "Help Me Howard" contact form but have no idea if it worked. If anybody wants to try the HELP ME HOWARD HOTLINE, it's
212-210-2490
I am having a stoop sale this Saturday on Union. Any tips? Anyone know where to get one of those markers that detect fake bills?
alafairnadia radical quellist
Joined: 08 Aug 2005 Posts: 8272 Location: not washington ave. btwn sterling & st. johns
Tue Sep 11, 07 5:36 pm EST
just have a real one handy and compare it - size, shape, color. that's all. _________________ like a smoked meat with an earthy youth overnote
sarahb borderline on the cat-lady thing
Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Posts: 101 Location: Place du Sterling
Tue Sep 11, 07 5:49 pm EST
anthropoid wrote:
I am having a stoop sale this Saturday on Union. Any tips? Anyone know where to get one of those markers that detect fake bills?
If you are really looking, you should be able to detect any fakes pretty easily. Hold it up to a real $20 -- the fake ones I got are about a quarter of an inch smaller. The paper is noticably smoother. You can also look for the watermark and the little thread of paper that runs vertically along one side of the bill -- fakes don't have these. For the ones I got at least, the size is the biggest giveaway.
I am having a stoop sale this Saturday on Union. Any tips? Anyone know where to get one of those markers that detect fake bills?
If you are really looking, you should be able to detect any fakes pretty easily. Hold it up to a real $20 -- the fake ones I got are about a quarter of an inch smaller. The paper is noticably smoother. You can also look for the watermark and the little thread of paper that runs vertically along one side of the bill -- fakes don't have these. For the ones I got at least, the size is the biggest giveaway.
That's helpful - thanks for the tip. And feel free to swing around and buy things using real 20-dollar bills! It will be across the street from the Co-op on Union.
liftandcut Wannabe ProHi Mayor
Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 468
Tue Sep 11, 07 6:06 pm EST
Quote:
just have a real one handy and compare it - size, shape, color. that's all.
Hmm, are we still talking bills, or have you been feeling a little frisky lately?
WhyFi Staid and Dull
Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 4389 Location: In the Groove
Tue Sep 11, 07 6:09 pm EST
liftandcut wrote:
Quote:
just have a real one handy and compare it - size, shape, color. that's all.
Hmm, are we still talking bills, or have you been feeling a little frisky lately?
"So... ya got change for this...?"
Ba Newbie
Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Posts: 9
Tue Sep 11, 07 10:13 pm EST
To the poster above who received a fake 20 at dry cleaners in the neighborhood, your post was so not irrelevant!!
A friend of mine (lives and works in the neighborhood) recently got a fake $20 from somewhere near by since its basically the only place he spends his money. He's not a stoop sale goer though.
He didn't notice and tried to use it at a bodega that took it away.
On those many times that I pay with bills bigger than a $20 (not so much!), I'll probably check any I get.
vanilla Carneviento Devotee
Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 1434
Tue Sep 11, 07 10:17 pm EST
Ba wrote:
To the poster above who received a fake 20 at dry cleaners in the neighborhood, your post was so not irrelevant!!
A friend of mine (lives and works in the neighborhood) recently got a fake $20 from somewhere near by since its basically the only place he spends his money. He's not a stoop sale goer though.
He didn't notice and tried to use it at a bodega that took it away.
On those many times that I pay with bills bigger than a $20 (not so much!), I'll probably check any I get.
if he didn't notice and then spent it and the bill was accepted --- how did your friend come to the conclusion that it was indeed fake?!
MichaelKeys MotherSucker
Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 895 Location: South of the Slope
Wed Sep 12, 07 1:13 am EST
Just in general it's probably a good idea to check your $20 bills, regardless of their provenance. A neighbor of mine inadvertently passed a fake one at the corner bodega--they told him about it the next time he came by-- and he only gets cash from his bank's ATMs! _________________ "If Elvis is the King of Rock 'n' Roll, then Chuck Berry must be Master of the Universe."
Sterling Sasquatch Newbie
Joined: 25 Mar 2007 Posts: 7
Wed Sep 12, 07 10:48 am EST
liftandcut wrote:
Quote:
A little bit off topic, but I received a fake $20 from one of the dry cleaners on Washington about 2 months ago...
Say word! Did you realize that it was fake when you tried to use it, or did you notice it yourself?
No, I didnt realize it was fake until I got to work in the city and the deli I go to every day wouldnt accept it. Taking a closer glance at it, it was pretty easy to tell it was fake, but picking up my dry cleaning after rolling out of bed early in the morning... wasnt focusing on whether my change was real or fake - I do now.
dougheights Newbie
Joined: 26 Aug 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Stirling east of Vanderbilt
Wed Sep 12, 07 11:49 am EST
After reading the above posts I checked the bills we got from our sale on the 3rd(Sterling nr Vand.) Thankfully, the 10 20's and 1 50 were all ok.
It does put a damper on the spirit of these sales, though.
Ba Newbie
Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Posts: 9
Wed Sep 12, 07 6:17 pm EST
Quote:
Ba wrote:
To the poster above who received a fake 20 at dry cleaners in the neighborhood, your post was so not irrelevant!!
A friend of mine (lives and works in the neighborhood) recently got a fake $20 from somewhere near by since its basically the only place he spends his money. He's not a stoop sale goer though.
He didn't notice and tried to use it at a bodega that took it away.
On those many times that I pay with bills bigger than a $20 (not so much!), I'll probably check any I get.
vanilla wrote:
if he didn't notice and then spent it and the bill was accepted --- how did your friend come to the conclusion that it was indeed fake?!
he didn't spend it. he tried to use it at a bodega, but they took the bill away from him. guess i should have explained.... took it away = did not accept it. told him it was fake, took it, and he paid with other real money.
raw "Way Too Incestial"
Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 2036
Wed Sep 12, 07 9:29 pm EST
sarahb wrote:
i am the person selling stuff w/ spec* who wound up with the counterfeit bills... upon further inspection this morning, i found out that we came away with THREE fake 20s. not cool!
what's more, i went up to a guy selling records on park place today to warn him about the scammer -- and he too had gotten a fake 20 yesterday. we agreed about who the guy was that did it.
moral of story: if you are having a stoop sale, check the bills you get. the fake 20s are obviously fake when held up against real 20s (they are slightly smaller, color a little off, paper is smooth) but seem real if you are not really paying attention. next time i will know!
ok, simple use of counterfeit bills is probably not a federal crime (that is, i doubt its a strict liability crime), one would probably have to "knowingly" or "intentionally" use the counterfeit bills to be criminal.
interesting then, that many have presumed something "criminal" based on little more than (a) race, and (b) strange behavior (20s for small purchases/ leaving and returning/ returning with a friend).
i guess, i don't find it all that strange that someone would be unsure whether they want your junk, or, that after deciding your junk is interesting that they would invite someone else to check it out, or that they pay in twenty dollar bills.
...probably we shouldn't harass our neighbors (with camera phone pictures? really?). Assuming [any of you] consider this person a neighbor.
i would imagine it appropriate to hold the bill up to the light (right then and there, by the way, so the alleged criminal is right in front of you), but camera phone pictures (and spreading the resulting photos across the internet) seem inappropriate (after all, innocent until...). _________________ my head hurts.
ltjbukem "Anonymous Guest"
Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 437
Wed Sep 12, 07 11:40 pm EST
a month ago i returned some stuff at the home depot on spencer/dekalb in bed stuy. the kid gave me change and the next day i bought a slice of pizza at pepitone's (sp?) on dekalb/hanson and the guy took out a marker, drew on it and said it was fake.
it was a $10 bill this time around though. the only reason he would try that marker on me, i guess, is because it's close to brooklyn tech and a lot of the kids try and use fakes??
Joined: 08 Aug 2005 Posts: 8272 Location: not washington ave. btwn sterling & st. johns
Thu Sep 13, 07 10:56 am EST
blueafro wrote:
interesting then, that many have presumed something "criminal" based on little more than (a) race, and (b) strange behavior (20s for small purchases/ leaving and returning/ returning with a friend).
I don't think your factor (a) entered into the whole thing as much as (b), at least to my reading of these posts. if the same thing had happened at a stoop sale I was involved in, I'd definitely be most suspicious of folks who came multiple times, especially if I had multiple bills, which was the case in this situation. I don't think that's drawing a bizarre conclusion - I think that's totally logical. it makes a lot more sense than someone buying $60 worth of stuff with fake money in one go. the whole point of counterfeiting money is to swap it out for real money, not to buy a used microwave. _________________ like a smoked meat with an earthy youth overnote
poppy13 Insider
Joined: 11 Nov 2006 Posts: 357 Location: Prospect Place/Classon
Thu Sep 13, 07 11:59 am EST
blueafro wrote:
ok, simple use of counterfeit bills is probably not a federal crime (that is, i doubt its a strict liability crime), one would probably have to "knowingly" or "intentionally" use the counterfeit bills to be criminal.
Fair enough, but let's assume that it is criminal if the person paid with 3 (!) counterfeit bills.
Joined: 22 Jun 2005 Posts: 594 Location: The intersection of Blight Street and Gentrification Avenue.
Fri Oct 05, 07 5:26 pm EST
Did anything else ever happen with this?
With a few big stoop sales going on this weekend -- the 3 block one on Prospect Place, me on Sterling and others -- let's watch out for the fake $ _________________ "The jawbone of an ass is just as dangerous a weapon today as in Sampson's time."
--- Richard Nixon
sarahb borderline on the cat-lady thing
Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Posts: 101 Location: Place du Sterling
Fri Oct 05, 07 6:02 pm EST
A week or two after I was scammed I was walking down Sterling and saw some folks setting up for a stoop sale. I stopped and warned them about what had happened to me with the fake 20's.
A few hours later I walked by again, and the stoop seller called me over to tell me that a guy on a bike had indeed come by and tried to buy something with a fake 20. Because of my warning, the stoop seller was being extra careful in scrutinizing every 20 he was handed. When he felt the paper on this particular 20 handed to him by the guy on the bike, he could tell that it was not real. The stoop seller said "I can't take this bill," the guy on the bike said "it's no good?" shrugged, and rode off. I think the stoop seller handed the bill back to the guy but I'm not sure. Anywho, that's all I know.
dailyheights Honorary Fellow
Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 3619 Location: Prospect Heights State of Mind
Sat Oct 06, 07 12:17 am EST
Brooklynian wins!! We beat the bad guys! _________________ HOT BOARD | NEW YORK'S BEST THREADS
4 BLOCKS BACK - http://twitter.com/brooklynian
poppy13 Insider
Joined: 11 Nov 2006 Posts: 357 Location: Prospect Place/Classon
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. its one thing ripping off big companies, a whole another thing ripping off individuals. if that guy is found should be shot and quartered and than minced and deep fried.
