Florida Girl Scouts Learn About Funny Money From Cookie Crooks

BRADENTON, FL — Along with their usual supply of Do-si-dos, Thin Mints, Trefoils and Samoas, some Florida Girl Scouts are now packing counterfeit-money detector pens and a healthy dose of skepticism, thanks to a pair of cookie crooks.

"They’re holding up every bill to the light," said Kelly McGraw with the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. "It’s like, OK, it’s only a $1 bill; I think it’s going to be OK."

The Scouts' change in vigilance comes courtesy of a pair of thieves in Bradenton, Florida. The bandits slipped counterfeit bills to at least six troops over two weekends in February. One sale was at a table manned by girls as young as 7.

"I’ve worked for Girl Scouts for 16 years," said McGraw, director of the member experience. "You’ll get one every year. It happens to somebody. But it’s usually a one-time thing. Someone goes up, and passes off the bill, and that’s it. This is definitely an intent to get as much money as possible."

So far, the thieves have gotten away with $650 from Scouts at two Publix grocery stores and a Walmart. The crooks presented $50 bills to pay for their cookies in every case and pocketed the change.

"From the girls and adults remembering who gave them that much money, it seemed to be a female-and-male team," McGraw said. "A female walked up and asked for a box and got change. And then just minutes after, a male did it."

She said the thieves struck multiple locations before the girls knew what was happening.

"It was all happening on the same day, at the same time, so the troop leaders weren’t able to alarm each other," McGraw said. "Like, over here, they don’t know the police are over there."

Not all of the 500 troops that are part of the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida have reported their sales yet. So the problem may be worse than expected.

"I’m just waiting for the rest of them to go deposit all of their money," McGraw said. "They’re buying a box of cookies and getting $45 in change back. So, the troop is out the cookies, but also out the money. That’s kind of the more devastating part when you think about it."

So far, people have made up the difference with donations.

"We’ve more than covered what we believe is going to be the final number," McGraw said. "I’ve also had banks calling me, offering educational programs and offering to donate counterfeit pens to all the troops."

She's worried that some of the troops won't receive their counterfeit-detector pens before thieves strike again.

Meanwhile, the young Scouts have been receiving an unexpected lesson in how to spot counterfeit bills. The girls take the lead on all cookie sales. The adults are there to keep the girls safe.

"One of the troop leaders said we have a new motto: 'First we were sad. Then we were mad, and now we’re smart,'" McGraw recalled. "She brought the (counterfeit) bill to her troop meeting to show all the girls and talk about what happens when you get it. They’re 7 years old."

This has been a particularly difficult cookie season for the young Florida entrepreneurs. They've had to pass along a price increase to their customers and had to overcome problems with their warehouse.

But the girls have taken the counterfeiting life lesson in stride.

"It’s more of like a contest who can identify the fake one," McGraw said.

The downside is that it may take a little longer for people to get their fix of Tagalongs for the remainder of this year's cookie season, which runs through March 15 at the 10 Florida counties served by the Gulfcoast chapter.

"I can’t imagine how long a transaction is going to be now," McGraw conceded. "They are inspecting every bill. There is not going to be the fastest purchasing going on."