If someone were to ask you to accept a $1 million bill, you would no doubt realize that the bill must be counterfeit since there is no such large denomination currency in the United States. However, surprisingly, there have been cases where people actually tried to use these bills when shopping. An example is a man who tried to check out a grocery store in Pittsburgh on a fake money for sale Saturday in 2006. In another case, a woman in Georgia attempted to purchase more than $1,500 worth of merchandise at Wal-Mart. Needless to say, the police were called and in both cases people were arrested. Most of the time, however, fakes or fakes are not that obvious.
Royal Mint removed
Take the example of the UK with their £1 coins. Up until about a year ago, the Royal Mint thought that around one in forty £1 coins was counterfeit. That number has now been revised to one in twenty. In 2007, the Royal Mint removed 97,000 counterfeit pound coins from circulation. In the last quarter of 2008 alone, that number rose to 270,000. And now, verifying coins whether they are fake or genuine is big business in itself. A company that makes coin validators claims that 5% of the coins tested are fake. Whoever accepts coins on a large scale, such as parking garages, ATM operators, even banks, is very concerned about the amount of counterfeiting.
easy money
Counterfeit money has been around almost as long as the real thing. Professional gangs pay much more attention to keeping quality to a high level and flood the market with fakes. During World War II, the Nazis attempted to counterfeit US dollar and British pound notes and managed to produce huge quantities of them. The fight against counterfeit money continues, and while governments are finding more sophisticated ways to make their money harder to copy, someone will always come up with equally sophisticated methods to reverse the changes. Remember that legally if you spot a counterfeit note or coin you should not give it away but hand it in to the authorities. That makes that special money worthless to you. So most of us just tend to accept that the money we have in our pocket is fine on the basis that what we don’t know (or look too closely) can’t hurt us.
3 easy steps to avoid buying counterfeit medicines online
Believe it or not, not all illegal drug deals take place down back alleys or behind crowded clubs. The easiest place for someone to take advantage of you is where you feel safest and most secure. Ordering your prescriptions online can be cheaper, more time-consuming, and even just as safe if you know what to look for.
Even if you don’t buy your prescriptions online, you’re still at risk. This can be anywhere from doctor’s offices, flea markets, pharmacies or even hospitals. While some fakes can be harmful to health, most are just there to make money. Sugar pills, placebo and half doses are all kinds of fake drugs that will hurt your wallet more than you. Others may have minor recipe variations and contain fillers that could be harmful to your health.
- Unexplained differences in the shape or size of the tablet compared to previously taken medication.
- Differences in the taste of the pill if there is a difference in color or consistency. For example, the pills may appear powdery or may have flaked off.
- Most important is when you notice a change in the effectiveness of the drug.
Determine
Unfortunately, while these are good ways to tell if you’re currently taking counterfeit prescription drugs, it means you’ve already bought the counterfeit drugs and your money has gone down the drain. The best way to deal with this problem is to catch it before it fake money for sale happens.
