NORTHAMPTON — Police are attempting to identify a man they say is purchasing small items with counterfeit $100 bills and pocketing the lump sums of change.
So far, the suspect — who is shown on surveillance footage to be a black male wearing a gray winter hat, a navy blue jacket and jeans and who appears to be middle-aged — has passed two of the $100 bills, at Liquors 44 and Cumberland Farms, both on King Street. It was a cashier that suspected the bill was phony and called authorities, Officer Dennis Liptak said Thursday. All of this unfolded March 11, police said.
These bills, when put to the marker test, pass with no problem. That’s because the counterfeit $100 bills are being manufactured from actual $10 bills, Liptak said. However, when held to the light, the watermark portrait of Alexander Hamilton appears.
In January, police were also investigating multiple reports of an individual attempting to pass $20 bills at one of the same businesses. Liptak said the two cases, while they bear similarities, are not being investigated jointly.
Anyone with information about the man shown in the surveillance photos is asked to call Liptak at 413-587-1036 or email dliptak@northamptonma.gov.
Correction: This story has been revised to reflect that the alleged previous attempts to pass counterfeit bills occurred at one of the businesses, not all three.
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.