Update: Kowi confirmed with the Daily Dot that the video was a parody. He said a shopper tried to pay with counterfeit money, but he caught it. The shopper, he added, ended up paying with real cash after his catch.
Original story: If you use a cash register at work, or if you handle cash at all, this story might have you double-checking any large bills that cross your hands.
One Kroger cashier is finding out the hard way that things aren’t always what they seem. Especially when they have a picture of Benjamin Franklin on them.
Joshua Kowi (@joshua.kowi) has a TikTok account that features himself and his fellow Kroger grocery workers in all sorts of funny situations. Unfortunately, his latest “funny” video was very serious—even though it featured “funny money.”
“Y’all, I’m about to get fired asf,” the screen text reads in a video Kowi posted two days ago. He turns his camera towards his cash register till and shows off an ugly surprise. A not-so-real $100 bill. The video currently has a jaw-dropping 3.2 million views as of Monday.
The fake C-note looks like the real thing at first glance. It’s even been carefully crumpled up, just like a real bill might look after it has been in someone’s wallet for a while. But a careful inspection reveals the awful truth.
Just to the left of Ben Franklin’s head are the words, “This is not a legal tender. And to the right, it reads, “Motion Picture Copy Money.”
It seems that Joshua fell prey to a common scam. According to The Euclid Observer, the theft by deception crime occurs when “a buyer uses movie money, prop money or replica money in a transaction to purchases goods from the seller.”
They state that “Motion Picture Money can be ordered online by scammers and does look similar to real currency.”
@joshua.kowi Welp. 😭 #fyp #foryou #fypシ #kowi #ksowi #kroger ♬ UH OHHH – ★ KILLA ★
Joshua’s predicament shows the importance of being alert when handling cash, particularly larger bills. Many of his viewers were quick to take him to task.
One viewer wrote, “The fact it’s written RIGHT THERE.” Kowi responded, “Y’all know I’m SLOWWWW.”
Another jokingly told Joshua he should “Ask 100 customers for a dollar” to replace the value.
Several people admitted they would likely have made the same mistake.
Lex (@blxckeggcelence) wrote, “This why I can’t be a cashier. This would happen all the time.”
“Can’t be as bad as me. I split a 800 grocery in half. And never took the 400 cash so they only paid 400. I got written up,” another viewer added.
But most viewers took the cashier to task for not spotting the fake.
“Bestie if it was a good fake I’d be sympathetic but IT SAYS IT RIGHT THERE HELP,” wrote Raven (@ravennnnss).
Another wrote, “You always gotta at least put it in the light.”
Some asked why he didn’t use a counterfeit detector pen, writing, “Don’t you have one of those yellow markers?”
But one commenter may have answered that, stating, “I love how ppl are bringing up you not using a pen but you didn’t even use your eyes.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kowi via TikTok messenger for further comment.
