WASHINGTON PARISH, La. -- At the height of last week's fireworks sales, a man walked into a Bogalusa-area stand to buy under $20 worth of product, but produced a $100 bill to pay for it.
"When he left, my employee actually marked it to find that it was counterfeit and then he called us," said owner Stephen Genco.
But Genco says even without a counterfeit marker, just looking at the bill would have raised red flags because in three places on the front, and one on the back, it reads "For Motion Picture Use Only."
Surveillance video helped the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office arrest the man, along with a partner, who they say were found with $700 in the fake movie money and evidence showing the men had passed the bills at other businesses.
"I think these counterfeiters are smart folks that go into places that are real busy because sometimes they don't take the time to check things," said Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal.
And they're not just working on the Northshore. Thibodaux Police reported a case involving the fake movie money last month, while dozens of police departments around the country, including the secret service, have been combating this version of counterfeit bills all year.
"We have heard that there's a place on Craigslist where you can go and purchase money that is used like on movie sets, where they'll show someone come in on a movie and they'll have a big roll of money and they'll peel it off and it looks real," said Seal.
Law enforcement says there are several things you can do and look for to make sure you're not the next one duped. That includes eyeballing the pictures, the security strip and the "United States of America" wording.
But for Genco, the solution will remain as quick and simple as the swipe of a counterfeit pen.
Thibodaux Police say they have identified the suspect in their counterfeit movie money case from last month and are in the process of issue warrants for them.