European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 03, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars aft stripes Money matters wednesday february 3,1993 this funny Money is no laughing matter counterfeit $100 leads to Battle with Bank by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau Vervier Belgium More than two years ago Loni Damson Larch a walked away from merchants National Bank at Schinnen Netherlands carrying a counterfeit $100 Bill still warm from the Teller s hand. She Learned it was fake when she de posited it into her belgian Bank  officials initially refused liability for the Bill saying they had no proof i came from their Bank. However after Bramson Lerche s attorney threatened Toque merchants provided what Bank officials termed a Good Faith reimburse ment for a valued  Happy ending not quite. What started out As a three month Effort to get her Money Back soon turned into a matter of principle for the free Lance religion researcher and writer who lives in verve cars. I realized the Only reason we got reimbursed was because we had Legal insurance which costs quite a bit of Money eur year said Bramson Lerche whose husband Charles is a Boston University professor in Belgium. We can afford it but the gis can to especially the enlisted  consequently the daughter of a re tired air Force officer has written More than a dozen letters to merchants Bank the Pentagon and Congress on behalf of herself and other Bank patrons who she fears might have a close encounter of the counterfeit kind. What i m looking for is merchant saying we take responsibility for our Money being Good Bramson scr Chessid noting reports that counterfeiting is a significant problem in the Region where she lives and Banks. Merchants followed Normal banking practice when it initially refused to reimburse Bramson Lerche Bank spokes Man Frank j. Chundrlik wrote in a let Ter to the stars and stripes dated Jan.20. Usually once a customer leaves the Teller window any counterfeit item is the Holder s loss he wrote. However this is not the Case at service Federal credit Union s 11 offices in Ger Many said one of that institution s senior vice presidents. We have a record of what we re giving members and what they re giving us said Gordon Simmons from service fed eral s overseas Headquarters in Kaiserslautern Germany. We be had claims from member about counterfeit currency and we have successfully handled those claims without loss to any member Simmons said. Is Rosemary Sawyer Long Bramson Herchc r .receivedcounterfeit$100bill he refused to elaborate on How the credit Union tracks Bills calling it an internal  merchants Security director for Continental Europe Paul Samulski called agreed to let its Bank employees record the numbers for Bramson Lerche As a temporary , if no other acceptable Solu Tion is identified consistent with Standar banking practices she could be charged a fee for the service said a statement from the Pentagon office. Merchants decision to temporarily accommodate Bramson Lerche came More than three months after the Pentagon of fice first asked the Bank to do so. Bramson Lerche said that Pentagon and Bank officials missed her Point by addressing her Case in isolation. I d be willing to take $20 Bills for Theresa of my life she said. But the de sense department should require Mer chants to Institute a system that would enable them to know whether a Bill came from their Banks Bramson Lerche said. According to a statement from the Pentagon comptrollers office Standard . Banking practices do not guarantee currency once a Patron leaves a Teller window. However it is the policy of the overseas military banking program to provide full reimbursement to an individual who can demonstrate that the counterfeit Bill was received at a military banking  the statement did not explain How Bank clients could demonstrate that fact. Bramson Lerche said that after she personally receives word of her Tempo what happened to Bramson Lerche an Rary dispensation for recording serial unfortunate occurrence but not one numbers Shell Likely end her fight with a Bank patrons should worry about. Letter of thanks and final Appeal to of in a 12-month period ending in mid a ficus in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. 1992, the Bank detected Only 14 coun i a chants is committed to a philos Kerfeit Bills of $20 to $100 denominations Phy of serving All customers equally with the Low volume of counterfeit cur spokesman Chunderlik wrote in his let re icy in our banking system there s no Ter. However the Bank cannot guarantee need to go to bed worrying that your every customer who claims to have re Money in t going to be any Good Cei cd a bad note from the Bank will re " " " Cevic a Good Faith reimbursement he said. Each Case would have to be re viewed taking into account the client banking history. Chunderlik wrote that merchants resisted the Pentagon s first request to accommodate Bramson Lerche because Samulski said. After Bramson Lerche received the Bill she Schinnen Bank manager Freder ick Bernhard and army criminal investigator David Gary agreed that the Way to document the source of $50 and $100bills from the Bank would be to record their serial numbers on a slip of paper that would have been inconsistent with which the Bank would certify. The Bank s philosophy of equitable treatment for All personnel whom Bramson Lerche Calls patrons. Recording serial numbers re extremely helpful employed the sys quires the Bank to pull a Teller from the Tern for nearly a year before merchants line slowing service to other customers higher Headquarters stopped the practice he wrote. In october 1991. Now she withdraws merchants Samulski called such a$1,500 to $2,000 a month in $20 Bills a practice "10 pounds of work for one less frequently counterfeited Deomina ounce of  Tion officials with the Bank s Headquarters on Jan. 22, the Pentagon comptrollers in Frankfurt Germany would not allow office which monitors merchants Over Schinnen Bank manager Bernhard to Dis seas banking contract said merchants cuss whether Bank customers had been inconvenienced by recording numbers for Bramson Lerche. There arc some customers that no matter How hard one tries to satisfy arc never satisfied Chunderlik wrote.  seems to fit into this  said the Bank had pro posed ways that Bramson Lerche could avoid the counterfeit risk. She rejected them she said because of the Persona Cost  merchants made the proposals in a let Ter from the Pentagon comptrollers of fice. Along with offering two alternative that involved recording of serial numbers the letter suggested that  a wire Transfer to her belgian account withdraw Money in the form of Cashiers Check for Deposit to her belgian account or arrange to have her husband paycheck deposited directly into their belgian Bank through a . Bank. Eric Fauconnier spokesman for ban Brussels Lambert confirmed that such services would be subject to fees an taxes. To Deposit a Cashiers Check in bbl for 50,000 belgian francs about $1,500 would Cost about $9. The Cost of a wire Transfer is about the same. Merchant Bank charges $5 for Cashiers checks for amounts withdrawn from checking accounts. Checks arc free for savings withdrawals of More than $500. The Mer chants fee for wire transfers is $15f. Bramson Lerche said she and her Hus band would love for his Check to be de posited right into the belgian account but payroll officials in Germany have told them such a Deposit in t possible. Mer chants officials could not verify whether direct Deposit could be done through correspondent Bank. Merchants will consider changing banking practices if a Large contingent of . Personnel in Belgium experience banking difficulties Smith said from the Bank s Indianapolis Headquarters. How Ever the solution that we write Down serial numbers and Back up our lines forthe other clients does t strike me As being a Good  bases her concerns about getting another counterfeit Bill on reports from belgian banking officials and investigator David Gary that counterfeit . Bills Are a problem in the area where Germany and Belgium format envelope around the Southern tip of the  said counterfeit . Dol Lars presented a huge problem to their operations. We have in Belgium and Europe see Money on Page 13 careful examination can detect bad Bills by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau Brussels Belgium the Best safeguard against falling victim to counterfeiters is to know your currency and take time to look at it say Security and Law enforcement authorities. Bank people Deal in millions of dollars said one official. "1 hey have one tenth of second with a Bill in a Normal business  customers should count their Money before the leave the Teller window and if a Bill does t feel or look right ask for another they say. They give the same advice for Cash from any source. As a Rule Banks and finance office workers won pass on counterfeit Bills but patrons should be cautious experts say. Unfortunately unknowingly Many tellers will pass Back counterfeits said Rolando p. Soliz a . Secret service agent in charge of monitoring counterfeiting activities in Europe. The Banks seem to protect themselves better than see Bills on Page 13 Check letter quadrant number Type of note serial number Treasury Seal Federal Reserve number Federal Reserve Seal and Tetter inscribed Security t thread Back plate  face plate number some features of a recently printed $100 Bill including the Security Stripe to the left of the Federal Reserve Seal