Police say counterfeit money used at Ogden ice cream shop
Jun 21, 2018, 1:07 AM | Updated: 2:06 am
OGDEN CITY, Utah – The next stop in the counterfeit money trail hits Northern Utah again.
Ogden City police detectives told KSL they responded to reports of counterfeit fraud at the Cold Stone Creamery on Tuesday.
“Officers gathered what they needed from video surveillance,” Lt. Michael Boone with Ogden City Police Department said. “We have the $100 bill, the receipt, and the video to push this investigation forward.”
Annie Ogemaw, Ogden Cold Stone manager, said the man and woman who passed the counterfeit bill have purchased ice cream at the creamery before.
“The woman is fairly identifiable. She has two large tattoos on her collarbones and shoulders. In the video you can see she’s rifling around in her wallet. Then she digs around in her shirt, and pulls out the $100,” Ogemaw said.
Ogemaw told KSL the couple waited until the ice cream shop was full of people, managers had stepped out to empty the garbage, and only teenagers were working behind the counter.
She said they ordered some ice cream creations and shakes.
The order totaled nearly $24, which means the duo pocketed more than $75 in real cash.
“They came in intending to do harm. Shame on them,” Ogemaw said. “I could tell they have done this before. They are caught. Now they just have to be found.”
Detectives said often a person of interest will claim they were unaware the money they exchanged was fake.
“If they are going to say, ‘we didn’t know it was counterfeit’ that is bull crap – you didn’t have it with the rest of your money,” Ogemaw said.
Managers at the Ogden Cold Stone said their employees were shaken up over the experience.
“They’re sick about what happened,” Ogemaw said. “These kids are young, maybe 15 or 16. It’s their first job experience, and now this happens. Really? It’s so wrong.”
Store managers said they will train their employees of the signs of counterfeit money so they feel more comfortable behind the register.
Ogemaw and the Cold Stone team have worked for the past three years to make the shop, which sits in the heart of downtown, a family-friendly environment.
“If they feel like we are a little shop and won’t take action, they are wrong. We’ve got this!”
Local law enforcement suggests visiting uscurrency.gov for tips and tricks in spotting fake money.
