Police Still Search for Counterfeiter Suspect

 Glen Ellyn Police are still searching for a man who passed two counterfeit $100 bills in Glen Ellyn earlier this week.

Deputy Chief Bill Holmer said so far police are aware of only two bills passed to Glen Ellyn businesses. Holmer said he does not know if the person passing counterfeit currency will strike again in Glen Ellyn, but he said businesses should be aware of the possibility.

Holmer said Glen Ellyn authorities have no evidence as to whether or not the counterfeiter is operating alone or has accomplices. He said he has not seen the fake currency so could not comment on the quality of the bill.

The first counterfeit note was passed in a business on Main Street Wednesday afternoon and a second bill was passed on Thursday. A press release from the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce described the person who passed the counterfeit bill as a 60-year-old white male with blond or gray hair and a bad complexion. The individual was wearing a blue shirt and dark pants.

Holmer said his department is encouraging businesses to establish procedures to prevent the passage of any more fake currency, including the use of special pens that use an ink that changes color when exposed to a paper different from the kind used by the U.S. Mint. Holmer also said some businesses may want to restrict the size of  denominations accepted. He added employees may also want to be more diligent when handling bills of larger denominations.

“Oftentimes people passing counterfeit bills will engage cashiers in conversations so they won’t pay attention to the bills they’re handling and may not notice anything odd about the currency,” Holmer said.

Holmer said he has not heard from law enforcement departments in neighboring communities whether or not they have seen evidence of counterfeit bills being passed.

With the passing of counterfeit currency, the United States Secret Service will also investigate the situation. Counterfeiting falls under the purview of that federal agency.

“They have a lot more experience with this kind of thing than we do. We don’t deal with much counterfeit currency in Glen Ellyn,” Holmer said.