TAYLOR, Mich. — A Taylor candy store owner is warning other local businesses to be cautious after he says someone used a counterfeit $50 bill to buy candy Wednesday night.
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Steve Sikora, owner of The Bulk Store, said the incident was captured on surveillance video inside his store.
“When it does happen, it just catches you off,” Sikora said. “You think, how could somebody do this?”
According to Sikora, the customer came into the store just before 6:30 p.m. and attempted to buy $7.90 worth of candy with a $50 bill.
The cashier noticed something seemed off about the money and held the bill up to the light. Sikora was away from the store at a funeral when employees called him about the suspicious bill.
Because the bill appeared to be an older series, Sikora ultimately told the employees to accept it.
Minutes later, his store manager called again.
“Hey Steve, a guy just walked in to buy some candy bars and he tried to give us a $100 bill and it looks just like the fifty you told us to take,” Sikora recalled being told. “And I said, ‘Oh jeez, we’re getting hit.’”
Sikora said employees asked the second customer for another form of payment, and the man left.
The store did not file a police report, and 7 News Detroit blurred the faces of the people shown in the surveillance video because they haven't been charged with a crime.
The incident left employees upset, including Cathy Bradley, who became emotional while talking about Sikora and his wife.
“He really doesn’t deserve it,” Bradley said. “Him and his wife both, they work really hard and they’re good people.”
Sikora said losing money is especially difficult for a small business owner responsible for supporting both his family and his employees.
“Obviously, no one likes to lose money,” he said. “I mean, I got a family to feed. I gotta take care of my staff, they’re family to me. So I worry about them.”
The Bulk Store reportedly isn't the only Taylor business to encounter suspected counterfeit money.
Taylor police told 7 News Detroit that May’s Bakery and Country Store also reported a similar incident. The owners said they did not accept the money because they believed it was fake.
Now, Sikora is urging other business owners to pay extra close attention if something doesn’t seem right.
“Just be cautious, that it is happening at the moment at least,” he said. “Don’t be suspicious of everyone that comes through your door, but if something feels off, trust your gut.”
Sikora said he hopes sharing what happened at his store can prevent another business from losing money.
“My wish is that it doesn’t happen to anyone else,” he said. “It may do more harm to them than it did to us.”
