Oklahoma Man Spots 'Funny Money' During Car Sale

Phony $100 bills get the attention of the Secret Service after a Pryor man tried to use the funny money to buy a Ford Expedition.

The seller said the bogus bills' flimsy feel made him suspicious, so he stalled the deal and waited for the sheriff to arrive.

Many people buy and sell things online and most know checks can be forged, but taking cash usually seems pretty safe, but one Rogers County man learned, you still need to take a good look at it.

"She says, ‘I think we have a problem. The money feels weird. It doesn't look right,'" said car owner Bruce Burns.

When his wife told him the guy buying their Expedition was paying with cash that seemed funny, he rushed home to look and found the color was too dark, there was no water mark and the serial numbers were all the same.

Burns had his wife call the sheriff, while he tried to stall. He said the guy told him he was in a hurry and didn't care about getting paperwork, not even a lien release.

"He was like, ‘just write me a bill of sale or something,'” Burns said.

When the deputy arrived, Burns said the man buying the SUV, Michael Santos, acted surprised.

"I said ‘the money you gave me is counterfeit' and he was like ‘what,' like, ‘oh, I can't believe it,' you know,” said Burns.

Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton said, "His story was, the day before he sold a car in Arkansas and they gave him the money, but he couldn't give us any documentation of where these mystery men are in Arkansas."

The money wasn't the only thing out of whack.

"The car they were driving wasn't registered to them, the license plate was registered to another car and he had several other titles in the car to other vehicles,” said Burns.

Santos went to jail for counterfeit money and the bills were turned over to the Secret Service.

The lesson is, even if you're getting paid in cash, look it over closely and know what it's supposed to look like.

"We had another $100 bill at the house and compared it to it, night and day difference,” Burns said.

Santos got out of jail on bond and has not yet been charged with a crime.

Burns still has his Expedition for sale, and he's glad his wife spotted the fake bills.