Mount Pleasant sees counterfeit bill usage increase
Several Mount Pleasant businesses have had counterfeit bills passed through their establishments since 2009 rang in two weeks ago.
O'Kelly's Sports Bar and Grill, 2000 S. Mission St., and 7-Eleven, 2397 S. Mission St., each have encountered problems and thus have begun to crack down marking bills and tightening up on their procedure to prevent any more future counterfeit instances.
Police officials said that bars are a prime target for passing counterfeit bills because of the poor lighting and hectic atmosphere.
"We do mark our bills on occasion, but we have not had any problems with that here," said Lois Breidenstein, owner of the The Bird Bar and Grill, 223 S. Main St.
Qdoba Mexican Grill, 1529 S. Mission St., was given warning from local banks about a month ago to tighten their policy of marking bills and to keep a close watch on incoming money.
Affiliated with O'Kelly's Sports Bar and Grill is Coco Joe's, 4855 E. Bluegrass, who has felt the immediate impact of the threat of the fake bills.
"This has absolutely been an eye-opener for us since we are affiliated with O'Kelly's, we make sure we mark all our bills, especially any big bills," said Jamie Burke, general manager. "We have to keep a look out for ourselves."
metro@cm-life.com
