Two women in Tennessee were reported to police after one offered a fake $1 million bill to pay for items at the Dollar General in Maryville, Tenn.
[she told] the cop that she received the $1 million bill "in the mail from a church," but was unable to provide additional information about the purported house of worship's largesse, as first reported by The Daily Times.
As detailed in a Blount County Sheriff's Office report, McCormick had a "shopping cart full of various items from inside the store, including several gift cards to various businesses." McCormick claimed she was "going to use the money to purchase items for care packages for homeless individuals."
Here's the U.S. Department of the Treasury's entry on $1m bills:
We receive many inquiries asking if the Treasury Department ever produced a $1 million currency note. People have sent in copies of these notes. We have found that they are nonnegotiable platinum certificates known as a "One Million Dollar Special Issue." These notes were from a special limited copyrighted art series originally sold by a Canadian firm for $1.00 each as a collectible item. They are not official United States currency notes manufactured by our Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). As such, they are not redeemable by the Department of the Treasury.
Which is to say it's art, not money. In the U.S., at least, you can own million-dollar "bills"—here's a pack of 100 at Amazon!— but if you try to pay for something with them, you might end up charged with something. Or banned from Dollar General.
