Some Quartzsite Businesses Reject $100 Bills

If you’re planning on bringing your RV to Quartzsite to spend some time–and spend some money–think twice about the denominations your carry in your wallet. A rash of alleged counterfeit money passing has caused some Quartzsite (and Blythe) merchants to stop accepting $100 bills. RVers might do well to think smaller bills.

It started a few weeks ago when one of the Quartzsite auto parts stores took a $100 bill from a local customer. The bill was sent down to the main store in Blythe, where it and a couple of other “Bennies” which had been taken from customers made their way to the merchant’s bank. Once there, the teller snapped up the bills, and told a dumbfounded store owner that she had to confiscate the bills and send them back to the Treasury Department as they appeared to be–if you’ll pardon us–Phoney Phranklins.

The merchant was understandably upset, after all, his employees had diligently used their “counterfeit money pens” and the marks left by the pens were yellow, as they should have been. What really “frosted” the merchant is that the teller, instead of being sympathetic, reportedly laughed at his obvious discomfort and the loss of three hundred bucks. She did “assure” him that if C-Note G-Men found the bills to be authentic, he’d have the money credited to his account.

What about the guy that passed the seemingly bogus bill in Quartzsite? He told authorities he’d cashed his paycheck at a Blythe bank and received the $100 bill from them. Too bad, says the part store clerk, it wasn’t the same bank that snagged the bill when it came in for deposit.

It didn’t take long for the news to spread. Now several businesses have posted signs that they’re not accepting $100 bills.