Have you ever seen a counterfeit dollar bill before?
Even if you think you haven’t, there’s a strong chance you may have accidentally had one in your possession. In 2011, the United States Secret Service confiscated over $81 million in fraudulent currency. There’s also a significant amount of this currency that doesn’t get caught—meaning that fake bills, while rare, do occasionally get traded accidentally.
If one discovers a fake bill, there are a few things they need to do. However, this can be pretty awkward, as one TikTok user recently realized.
What Went Wrong With This Chick-Fil-A Purchase?
In a video with over 27,000 views, TikTok user Bunny Garcia (@mrsnevalanded) says she recently visited Chick-fil-A with her family.
Going through the drive-thru, Garcia opted to pay with cash. To do this, she used a $100 bill. This is where the problems began.
“The kid comes back a little while later, and he’s like, ‘Unfortunately, do you have another way to pay? Because that $100 was counterfeit,’” Garcia recalls. “And I’m like, ‘What?’”
The worker then claimed that he ran it through the location’s bill reader twice and that it “didn’t beep.” This apparently indicates that the bill is fake.
“I’m in shock and disbelief,” Garcia states. “I got that money out of the bank yesterday…I’ve been shopping from the same envelope that the bank gave me of hundred-dollar bills all day long—and this kid wants to tell me that the last $100 I grab happens to be the counterfeit one? Like, the odds!”
Things Get Worse
Concerned, Garcia asked for her bill back.
“He’s like, ‘Unfortunately, we can’t give it back,’” Garcia recounts. According to Garcia, the employee said that “when stores encounter counterfeit money, they are obligated—bound by law—to keep it and hang on to it and turn it in. They’re not allowed to give it back to the customer.”
While Garcia says she understands this in theory, she questioned whether the teenagers working at the chain are the best determiners of what is and is not real money.
Garcia then called her husband, who told her to ask for the money back in order to take a photo. The reason, he said, was to inform the bank that they had provided them with fake currency.
“I need to take a picture of the serial number on that $100 for my bank account and my bank records, because I really did just get that from the bank yesterday, OK?” Garcia recalls telling the worker. “Otherwise, I’m calling the police, because you guys took a hundred dollars from me.”
Eventually, a “real manager” came out and explained that the bill was actually genuine. She also said that the other manager with whom she spoke was “new”—despite also being a manager.
“That kid tried to get me to leave the store twice without my money,” Garcia shares. “He wanted me to just leave the line without proof that I gave him $100. There’s gotta be something better.”
Are Companies Really Allowed To Take Bills They Think Are Counterfeit?
Surprisingly, the answer to this question is basically a simple “yes.”
As noted by the Los Angeles Times, businesses are advised to confiscate bills they suspect to be counterfeit and notify both the police and Secret Service about the situation. The person who attempted to pay with the suspected fraudulent bill may get interrogated by the police or Secret Service in order to determine where they acquired the bill.
If the currency is immediately found to be genuine, there’s a chance you’ll get it back. However, if it’s confiscated for further inspection—even if the bill is eventually found to be real—there’s a significant likelihood that you will simply not get the bill back.
If you are able to document that this loss occurred, you can treat it as a “theft loss.” This means it can be written off on your taxes. So long as you did not attempt to knowingly pass a fake bill, you will not be charged for any crime.
Commenters Can’t Believe It
In the comments section, users were in shock that this was the way such a situation was handled.
“I would want proof that he didn’t walk off with my bill then replace it with a counterfeit one,” declared a user.
“They have to call the police. they cannot just keep it and I don’t think that you are supposed to leave until the police come. passing counterfeit bills is a crime. he was trying to steal your money. good job standing up for yourself,” offered another.
“I wonder how many times they have done this before,” shared a third.
BroBible reached out to Chick-fil-A via email and Garcia via TikTok and Instagram direct message.