Girl Scout Cookie Sales Are Down, And Some Jerk Is Paying With Fake Money

Delicious though they may be, Girl Scout Cookies are not recession-proof. Sales are down by as much as half according to one troop leader.

“The Girl Scouts are not immune to the economy,” said Sharon Bellinger, spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut.

As if that weren’t enough to deal with, some jerk in Washington state is buying Girl Scout cookies with fake $20 bills. One troop is out $100.

“I went to the bank, right inside Safeway, and she told me two of the $20s were fake,” said Gettings.

Gettings quickly left, returning with a counterfeit detecting pen. Its mark shows yellow on real U.S. currency, but the mark turns black on fake money. She discovered an additional $60 in fake bills.

That brought the total to $100 Troop 40411 may make up themselves. Two of the bills even had the same serial number. Troop 40411 isn’t alone; others around Bremerton invested in the pen.

“Another troop has come to buy them because they noticed they were getting fake money,” said Gettings. She said they’re being told to stop accepting $20 bills unless they use the pen.

So evil!

Fake money used to buy Girl Scout cookies [MSNBC]
This is How the Cookie Crumbles [MSNBC]
(Photo:DeJay!)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.