Area businesses battle rising threat from counterfeit cash

CAMILLUS — An area Byrne Dairy store is one of several local businesses where scammers or unknowing customers have presented counterfeit cash to buy goods.

The crime is on the rise in the area, including the spread of fake $100 bills, according to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.).

Employees at Byrne Dairy’s stores use counterfeit-detection pens on any bill larger than $50, according to Christian Brunelle, senior executive vice president of Sonbyrne Sales, Inc., which does business as Byrne Dairy Stores.

Brunelle said he thinks the pens deter scammers … “knowing that we have them,” he said.

One Armory Square business also faced the problem of imitation cash.

“It’s just really hard for local, small businesses to absorb the loss from the counterfeit money,” said Breanne Barzee, general manager of Empire Brewing Company, a Syracuse–based brewer of handcrafted ales and lagers.

Both Brunelle and Barzee joined Schumer and local police at an April 6 press conference to speak about the issue at the Byrne Dairy store at 3385 Milton Ave. in Camillus.

The senator and his staff also mentioned Wegmans and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que as other examples of area businesses where customers have used phony cash to make payments.

Schumer used his visit to Camillus to publicly urge the U.S. Secret Service to “step up” its efforts to combat the “uptick” in counterfeit money circulating in the Syracuse region, including the $100 bogus bills. 

A scammer used counterfeit cash at a Byrne Dairy location close to the store where Schumer spoke. 

“Over the last year, and even over the last month, counterfeit transactions have reached alarming proportions,” Schumer said in his remarks to the assembled media.

Authorities have identified about $100,000 worth of counterfeit money in the Syracuse region over the last year, which means it is “likely” that hundreds of thousands more dollars are in circulation and has gone undetected, Schumer’s office said.

In the last month, 10 stores in the Syracuse area have reported counterfeit transactions.

“We use our crime-analysis center to track the various counterfeit currency that comes into our area. Last month alone, we were able to track 10 separate cases 

throughout Onondaga County,” Frank Fowler, chief of the Syracuse Police Department, said in his remarks.

Police from several local agencies stood behind Schumer as the Democrat spoke.

Schumer called it a “recent and unfortunately growing” trend in the Syracuse area.

Many scammers have used the introduction of a new $100 bill, and retailers’ lack of knowledge of the bill, to their advantage, Schumer noted. 

Many of the recent counterfeit instances have involved imitation $100 bills, he added. 

Merchants don’t always recognize when a bill is not the real McCoy, but then the business owner faces a rude awakening when trying to deposit the money at the bank — it won’t accept the bills.

“You’re out the money,” said Schumer.

Phony cash is a “serious” problem for local shop owners, since they have little to no recourse for recouping the money they are owed, the senator added. 

Schumer is urging the Secret Service to work with local law enforcement to figure out the source of the fake currency and to supply the resources that local retailers need to identify fake bills.

“We are asking the Secret Service, the federal government, which has jurisdiction over counterfeit dollars, to come in and step up their efforts,” Schumer said.

The agency has a “number of investigations underway,” the Democrat added.

The Secret Service is a federal law-enforcement agency established in 1865, “solely to suppress the counterfeiting of U.S. currency,” according to its website.

He also wants the Secret Service to help local businesses be aware of what to look for in the currency they handle on a day-to-day basis.

“We need some local workshops. We need to work with the chamber of commerce to do just that, so Syracuse stores are not taken for a ride any longer,” said Schumer.       

CAMILLUS — An area Byrne Dairy store is one of several local businesses where scammers or unknowing customers have presented counterfeit cash to buy goods.

The crime is on the rise in the area, including the spread of fake $100 bills, according to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.).

Employees at Byrne Dairy’s stores use counterfeit-detection pens on any bill larger than $50, according to Christian Brunelle, senior executive vice president of Sonbyrne Sales, Inc., which does business as Byrne Dairy Stores.

Brunelle said he thinks the pens deter scammers … “knowing that we have them,” he said.

One Armory Square business also faced the problem of imitation cash.

“It’s just really hard for local, small businesses to absorb the loss from the counterfeit money,” said Breanne Barzee, general manager of Empire Brewing Company, a Syracuse–based brewer of handcrafted ales and lagers.

Both Brunelle and Barzee joined Schumer and local police at an April 6 press conference to speak about the issue at the Byrne Dairy store at 3385 Milton Ave. in Camillus.

The senator and his staff also mentioned Wegmans and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que as other examples of area businesses where customers have used phony cash to make payments.

Schumer used his visit to Camillus to publicly urge the U.S. Secret Service to “step up” its efforts to combat the “uptick” in counterfeit money circulating in the Syracuse region, including the $100 bogus bills. 

A scammer used counterfeit cash at a Byrne Dairy location close to the store where Schumer spoke. 

“Over the last year, and even over the last month, counterfeit transactions have reached alarming proportions,” Schumer said in his remarks to the assembled media.

Authorities have identified about $100,000 worth of counterfeit money in the Syracuse region over the last year, which means it is “likely” that hundreds of thousands more dollars are in circulation and has gone undetected, Schumer’s office said.

In the last month, 10 stores in the Syracuse area have reported counterfeit transactions.

“We use our crime-analysis center to track the various counterfeit currency that comes into our area. Last month alone, we were able to track 10 separate cases 

throughout Onondaga County,” Frank Fowler, chief of the Syracuse Police Department, said in his remarks.

Police from several local agencies stood behind Schumer as the Democrat spoke.

Schumer called it a “recent and unfortunately growing” trend in the Syracuse area.

Many scammers have used the introduction of a new $100 bill, and retailers’ lack of knowledge of the bill, to their advantage, Schumer noted. 

Many of the recent counterfeit instances have involved imitation $100 bills, he added. 

Merchants don’t always recognize when a bill is not the real McCoy, but then the business owner faces a rude awakening when trying to deposit the money at the bank — it won’t accept the bills.

“You’re out the money,” said Schumer.

Phony cash is a “serious” problem for local shop owners, since they have little to no recourse for recouping the money they are owed, the senator added. 

Schumer is urging the Secret Service to work with local law enforcement to figure out the source of the fake currency and to supply the resources that local retailers need to identify fake bills.

“We are asking the Secret Service, the federal government, which has jurisdiction over counterfeit dollars, to come in and step up their efforts,” Schumer said.

The agency has a “number of investigations underway,” the Democrat added.

The Secret Service is a federal law-enforcement agency established in 1865, “solely to suppress the counterfeiting of U.S. currency,” according to its website.

He also wants the Secret Service to help local businesses be aware of what to look for in the currency they handle on a day-to-day basis.

“We need some local workshops. We need to work with the chamber of commerce to do just that, so Syracuse stores are not taken for a ride any longer,” said Schumer.