Almost $35K of counterfeit bills found in Bladen County

Around 10 a.m., officials responded to a call that people in the 9000 block of U.S. Highway 701 were picking up money in the road.

“Our dispatchers were getting calls of children grabbing what appeared to be money from the roadway and impeding traffic,” said Sheriff James A. McVicker.

When officers arrived at the scene, they collected a total of $34,465 in counterfeit money. The bills were in several denominations, including $100, $20, $10 and $5 bills.

“We have no idea where the money came from,” said McVicker. "We have notified the U.S. Secret Service for assistance and will continue to investigate.”

According to officials, some of the bills were obviously counterfeit but some could have passed for real currency if the person taking the money was not alert. Anyone who might have picked up some of this money is asked to bring it to the sheriff’s office, said McVicker. He also urges local merchants to be particularly careful when accepting large denominations of currency.

“We have no idea how much of this fake money was picked up before law enforcement was notified and arrived on the scene,” he said.