Photo provided by Willow Creek resident Shelly Middleton.

A wave of fake $20 bills with the matching serial number EH13317823B swept through a mishmash of Willow Creek businesses this month.

Restaurants, bars, gas stations, and the local bank reportedly received a number of the dummy denominations.

Willow Creek resident and thrift store owner Judea Lynch brought the issue to light by posting pictures of the bills in the Willow Creek Bulletin Board Facebook group.

“The Sheriff came in to show us the fake money. They can be easily overlooked but are obvious fakes upon closer inspection,” the Facebook post reads. “Apparently there are $5s too. He retrieved them from a local heroine addict and some from trimmigrants that claim they were paid out by their employer with them.”

Pizza Factory Manager Randi Kotera said the restaurant sidestepped the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and reported the incident directly to the FBI.

“They’re pretty good, were checking every single one,” Kotera said. “The person I stopped yesterday was a trimming kid, and he said he was paid with that. We’re sending [the bills] to the FBI in Sacramento.”

HCSO Public Information Officer Selena Zorrilla-Mendoza was unable to confirm if growers were reportedly paying trimmigrants with counterfeit bills, but said that trimers would probably not report the incident to the sheriff’s office.

Although numerous Willow Creek businesses received the fake bills, the HCSO only received three counterfeit reports this week. Two from the patriot gas station, and one from the Hoopa Mini Mart.

Multiple witnesses report that the bills are faded in appearance, and have a rigid feel to them. 

Information accessed via LoCO’s Patrolled tool.

Photo provided by Randi Kotera.