Phony Bills Found at Orange County Fair

Orange County Fair officials say they received $1,500 in counterfeit money last week, prompting officials to begin training employees to spot fake bills.

Becky Bailey-Findley, the fair’s general manager, said fair vendors took in five counterfeit $100 bills over the fair’s July 13-15 opening weekend and 10 more Thursday night.

The bills were passed at the Ray Cammack Shows carnival and various food booths. Bailey-Findley said the bogus bills were used to pay for items of small value.

“That way they can get about $90 back in change,” Bailey-Findley said. “It’s all very calculated.”

The fair has had problems with counterfeit rings in the past because of the large number of booths and the often hectic scene at the fairgrounds.

“The fair is easy prey for something like this,” Bailey-Findley said. “You can go from food booths to carnival ticket sellers in a short amount of time. Things are moving fast, and there are long lines and the different vendors don’t talk to each other. So they have no reason to compare the bills.”

But a few alert fair employees found some $100 bills with identical serial numbers. Fair officials immediately contacted federal and local authorities. The Secret Service, which investigates counterfeiting, provided training for all fair employees on Friday.

“This isn’t something that affects the general public, but we want it to stop and we want someone to be held accountable,” Bailey-Findley said.