Customers at a billion-dollar bank say they’re shocked after a worthless trip to the ATM.
More than a dozen people received fake $100 bills marked “for motion picture purposes” and “in props we trust” when they visited an Independence Bank ATM in Providence, Kentucky, reports the NBC-affiliated news station WFIE.
Among the victims is Tiffany Vaugh, who withdrew $400 in $100 bills and realized the money is phony when she tried to spend it.
“It wasn’t just me. It was several people that went to that bank and pulled out $100s. It was just the $100 bills, it was none of the other cash.
It felt real, it looked real, just like a crisp new $100 bill.”
In a statement, Independence Bank says it will “continue to work with our ATM vendor and our customers to assure corrective action.”
“Over the Labor Day weekend, Independence Bank was made aware of a limited number of customers receiving counterfeit bills from our Providence ATM. Our team took action immediately by closing the ATM and contacting our vendor that manages and maintains our machines.
We began directly contacting the 14 people inconvenienced over the holiday weekend and have started the process of ensuring they receive proper bills.”
The U.S. Secret Service last year seized $21.8 million in counterfeit currency, according to the agency’s report for the fiscal year 2023. The Treasury Department estimates that between $70 million to $200 million of the US dollars in circulation are counterfeit bills.
Independent Bank currently boasts of more than $3 billion in total assets.
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