Counterfeit Money Pops Up In Unalaska

Fake money was floating around an Unalaska bar bar last week.

According to the Unalaska Department of Public Safety, a counterfeit $100 bill turned up in a bank deposit on Monday. Officers concluded that the bill had been used at the Harbor View Bar and Grill, and that it had been mixed in with employee tips.

Sgt. Jennifer Shockley says that it seems to be an isolated case.

“We haven’t had anything that seems to indicate that there’s somebody bringing up or even producing here large quantities of counterfeit bills,” says Shockley. “To me it seems far more likely that somebody gets a hold of one, whether it’s on purpose or by accident, and literally passes the buck.”

Since the counterfeit was used in a place that gets a lot of business, figuring out who used the bill presents a challenge, adds Shockley.

“Who actually provided it would have been any one of the dozens or hundreds of people who were in the bar the previous night,” says Shockley.

Police have returned the $100 bill to Key Bank, which will send that money on to Washington. It’s a federal offense to knowingly pass on counterfeit bills, and the Secret Service is responsible for investigating the fake money’s origin.