Man passing counterfeit bills that pass pen test in Cooper City

Business owners warn of man caught on camera trying to pass off phony $100 bill

COOPER CITY, Fla. ā€“ A man was recently caught on camera passing counterfeit bills in Cooper City.

Twin Lakes Pool & BBQ manager Sam Romans said a man tried to buy $24 worth of supplies Saturday afternoon using a bogus bill.

"Gentleman handed him a $100 bill, and my guy, you know, had a pen, marked it and everything was good," Romans said.

The bill passed the pen test, but the bank said it was for a good reason.

"The bank told us that people are washing it and using a dollar bill and changing it to a $100 bill and passing it along," Romans said.

But the counterfeit customer didn't stop there. He tried passing the $100 bill at a pizza parlor.

Luv'N Oven Pizza & Pasta owner Joshua Capota said his cashier thought it was fake and brought the bill to him.

"If you feel the collar, you can feel the 3D texture," Capota said. "If it's not there, it's fake."

Capota decided to spread the word.

"So we called the restaurant down the street to warn them, and he was actually at the counter when we called," Capota said.

Vita Italian Restaurant & Pizza owner Matthew Schaefer said the bill felt like cotton paper.

"It passed the counterfeit pen test, but it just didn't feel right," he said.

The Broward Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in identifying the man passing phony bills.

"He doesn't care about a local business," Schaefer said. "He doesn't care about the effect it has on the economy. He just wants to get by on himself, and if he gets away with it, he's happy."