LAWRENCE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Authorities are asking for the public's assistance after a suspected counterfeiting crew targeted five convenience stores in southern Lawrence County and northern Alabama within the span of an hour.

According to Saint Joseph Police Chief Adam Brewer, the crime spree began on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

The suspects reportedly made their first stop in Leoma while traveling south along Highway 43, but got spooked when too many people were around the register.

At approximately 7:52 p.m., the crew traveled to a convenience store in Loretto, then hit another store in the city 12 minutes later.

Officials said the crew made it to Saint Joseph around 8:14 p.m. before traveling over the border to Green Hill, Alabama, where they targeted a fifth convenience store in Florence, Alabama.

According to Brewer, the crew arrived at a store with seven to eight $100 bills and then asked the clerk to put $400 or $500 on apps. After that, the suspects reportedly asked the clerk to change another few hundred dollars for smaller denominations.

At each store, Brewer estimates that the crew is stole hundreds of dollars, adding that the bills feel and look like the real thing.

The counterfeit bills reportedly look realistic because they have been chemically washed and then printed with the marking of a hundred.

According to Brewer, the marker works and the bills' still have the strip inside, but if you look closely, the bills' watermark shows Alexander Hamilton, because they are actually $10 bills.

"I talked to one of the clerks yesterday and he said he felt stupid, and I said there's nothing to feel stupid about. I mean, the marker works, the bills look real," Brewer expressed.

In addition, Brewer said all the bills have the same serial number.

"We found that with each location, that it was typically two to three serial numbers, that all had the same serial number," he said. "Yeah, but most people don't look at serial number, you know, they're working, who's gonna check it?"

Brewer shared surveillance photos with News 2, which showed a vehicle that the crew was traveling in, believed to be a Nissan Rogue. In addition, there were also two women believed to be traveling with the main male suspect.

According to Brewer, larger communities like Lawrenceburg and areas in Maury County have no reports of the suspects striking in the area, which leads him to believe that the suspects purposely go to smaller stores in rural communities.

Anyone with additional information about the incidents is asked to call the Saint Joseph Police Department.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/the-bills-look-real-lawrence-county-authorities-searching-for-suspects-involved-in-counterfeit-scheme/