WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. — West Melbourne police are trying to identify two people whom they believe are going shopping with counterfeit cash.
The thieves have hit at least two businesses in the Palm Bay Road corridor, but investigators don't believe that they stopped there.
Authorities said the suspects are using real cash to make the phony bills, using smaller denominations, like a $5 bill, to make larger bills.
Authorities said the thieves bleach the cash and print on the new denomination, but they can't change security features like the watermarks or security threads that run through the original bills.
West Melbourne police are trying to identify the thieves, who investigators said have gone shopping in at least two area stores with the counterfeit cash.
Police won't say exactly how much they've spent, but investigators want to stop more of the fake money from circulating.
Brent Patel, who runs Sam's Discount Beverage Minton off Palm Bay Road, said he hasn't seen any fake money lately, but he uses security features to spot it.
"If you use a pen and it's a $5 washed bill, the pen's going to work because it's going to show you it's a real bill. A hologram is the best way the face and the hologram are matching," he said.
Police said watermarks can give away an altered bill as well. The security thread running through the bill should also match the denomination.
West Melbourne police said they are also speaking with investigators in Brevard and Indian River counties to try to determine if the thieves have been at work in other jurisdictions.