aloha news

SAY IT’S HAPPENED ABOUT A DOZEN TIMES JUST IN THE PAST MONTH. NIKKI SCHENFELD SPOKE TO A HILO CASHIER WHO WAS ABLE TO SPOT THE DIFFERENCE BEFORE IT WAS TOO LATE. A CASHIER AT OHANA FOODS HILO HAD A FEELING SOMETHING WAS OFF WHEN A WOMAN HANDED HER A 100 DOLLAR BILL ON SATURDAY MAELYN RAMOS / OHANA FOODS HILO SALES ASSOCIATE/CASHIER 2.5 YEARS: "SHE TOLD ME IT WAS AN OLD BILL, BUT I HAD AN OLD BILL IN OUR TIP JAR SO I PULLED IT OUT ON THE SIDE AND I SAID IT LOOKS DIFFERENT, IT’S MORE OF A YELLOWISH TONE VS THE BILL SHE GAVE ME WAS BLACK." RAMOS MARKED THE BILL WITH THE COUNTERFEIT PEN.. YELLOW MEANS REAL CURRENCY SO SHE WAS CONFUSED MAELYN RAMOS / OHANA FOODS HILO SALES ASSOCIATE/CASHIER 2.5 YEARS: "I LIFTED IT UP ONE MORE TIME AND THAT’S WHEN I NOTICED THE FADED ONE DOLLAR MARKING." MAELYN RAMOS / OHANA FOODS HILO SALES ASSOCIATE/CASHIER 2.5 YEARS: "I TOLD HER THIS IS A COUNTERFEIT BILL IT’S NOT 100 DOLLARS, I CAN’T GIVE IT BACK TO YOU IM GOING TO HAVE TO REPORT THIS TO HPD." THE WOMAN GAVE RAMOS ANOTHER 100 DOLLAR BILL SAYING THE MONEY WAS FROM HER PAYROLL BUT RAMOS SAW IT WAS FAKE TOO. NIKKI SCHENFELD: RAMOS SAYS SHE ALSO NOTICED FAINT LETTERS ON THE FAKE 100 DOLLAR BILL WHICH THE 1 AND 2 DOLLAR BILL ARE STILL PRINTED WITH TODAY, THE 100 DOLLAR BILL HAS BEEN USING THIS SEAL SINCE 1996." THE WOMAN ASKED FOR THE MONEY BACK BUT RAMOS SAID NO AND CALLED POLICE. HAWAII ISLAND POLICE SAY THEY’VE HAD A DOZEN SIMILAR CASES IN THE LAST MONTH OR TWO. MAUI HAD A SIMILAR CASE OVER A WEEK AGO. CAPT. RIO AMON-WILKINS: "IT APPEARS THE CULPRITS ARE TAKING ONES IN ANOTHER CASE A TWO DOLLAR BILL AND BLEACHING THE INK OFF." HE SAYS THEY THEN BUY SOMETHING OF SMALL VALUE TO GET REAL CASH BACK CAPT. RIO AMON-WILKINS: " NOW YOU’VE WASHED YOUR HAND OF THE BILL AND IN THAT CASE THE STORES ARE THE VICTIMS THERE, BC THEY’RE OUT 100 DOLLARS." POLICE URGE EVERYONE TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT LARGE BILLS. HE ADDS THERE ARE A FEW PERSONS OF INTEREST AND A SPECIAL AGENT IS ASSISTING IN THE INVESTIGATION. MAELYN RAMOS / OHANA FOODS HILO SALES ASSOCIATE/CASHIER 2.5 YEARS: "I’M GLAD I WAS ABLE TO CATCH THAT HOPEFULLY THIS WILL HELP OTHERS." NIKKI SCHENFELD KHON2 NEWS WORKING FOR HAWAII JOE: A N