What would you do if, when paying for items at the checkout counter, you realize your money is counterfeit?

On Tuesday, October 23, a Marion General Store customer was given the opportunity to provide a real-life answer to that question. The result: Customer pointed it out to clerk and clerk called Marion Police.

Actually, Police Chief Lincoln Miller said both the General Store clerk and the customer called police to come take a look at the phony $10 bill.

“Sometimes those bills get into circulation and the people that get them don’t realize it,” Miller said. “This came as a surprise to the customer.”

While this type of incident is not a frequent occurrence in Marion, Miller said counterfeit bills are found occasionally.

Most of the time, he said, it’s the banks that discover the fraudulent bills before the money gets into circulation. However, Miller added that most store employees are able to spot a fake.

Once the fake $10 bill was discovered at the General Store, Miller said the customer did pay the tab with cash certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and police confiscated the counterfeit bill.