BRADENTON, Fla. – It’s Girl Scout cookie season and some crooks are setting their sights, not on the tasty treats, but the cash collected by the troops.
Several Florida troops have been targeted by counterfeiters using phony bills to pay for cookies, while asking for change. They were discovered when parents counting the cash noticed odd bills with the same serial number.
It’s a hard lesson to learn, but troop leaders say they’re teaching the girls what to do next time they sell cookies.
“They might take a little extra time to inspect your money,” Girl Scout leader Kelly McGraw says.
Troop leaders have reported the crime to police in Bradenton, Florida. In the meantime, the girls will have counterfeit detection pens with them so they don’t get schemed again.