Counterfeit $50 Bills Circulating in Lake Mary Businesses

Multiple businesses in Lake Mary experienced counterfeit $50 bills used in transactions during late December and early January, local authorities said. At least four establishments reported incidents: a restaurant, a kava bar, a smoothie and acai shop, and an ice cream shop. Seminole County detectives are following leads into the incidents after merchants identified a repeated pattern of suspicious purchases.

Business owners described a consistent method. In several cases a man or a woman paid for inexpensive items with a $50 bill that later proved to be fake, received change and left—sometimes without even taking the purchased item. One manager estimated a roughly $100 loss across two transactions. While individual losses may appear small, they can add up quickly for small food and beverage operators that often work with thin daily margins.

The episodes were concentrated in the early January window, and merchants reported similar timing for incidents that began in late December. Seminole County detectives continue to investigate and have asked local businesses to report suspicious transactions. Detectives are pursuing leads to identify the individuals involved and to prevent additional incidents.

For Lake Mary merchants, the impact is both immediate and practical. Small downtown restaurants and walk-up shops depend on steady, low-friction cash handling; an unexpected string of counterfeit bills imposes losses, complicates daily reconciliation and raises staffing burdens as employees review past transactions. Even modest thefts can disrupt payroll calculations and inventory tracking for shops operating on narrow profit margins.

Merchants should increase routine checks of larger-denomination bills and consider simple safeguards at the point of sale. Visible verification procedures, training staff to examine security features such as watermarks and security threads, and encouraging card or contactless payments for higher-value transactions can reduce exposure. Businesses that accept cash should report counterfeit notes to law enforcement promptly so detectives can link incidents and build cases.

The incidents highlight the broader challenge of protecting small businesses from opportunistic fraud. Seminole County detectives are asking anyone with information or who experienced similar transactions to contact local law enforcement. Until the investigation yields results, heightened attention at registers and clear reporting of suspicious activity will be the primary defenses for Lake Mary merchants against continued losses from counterfeit currency.