Amid a sour economy, one business appears to be thriving as the year comes to a close: counterfeiting. Arrests for making fake money have hit a five-year high. Reports of counterfeit bills almost always go up around the holiday season. Yet as the economy sags, regular folks are trying to pass off fake bills to pay everyday expenses, joining what is typically the province of drug dealers, federal authorities say. Counterfeiting arrests in the USA jumped 28% this year over 2007 — the highest number since 2004, according to the Secret Service, a division of the Homeland Security Department that safeguards the nation's currency. Counterfeiters passed $64.4 million in fake cash into the economy, a 5% increase over 2007 and also a five-year high, says Special Agent Darrin Blackford, spokesman for the agency. "It's not just the criminal element, but we're also seeing more students that maybe use a counterfeit $20 bill to buy pizza or someone trying to do it to purchase gas to get to work," says Brian Marr, Secret Service special agent in charge of the Little Rock field office. Marr says reports of fake bills spiked this year when gas prices hit record highs. The holiday surge comes as counterfeiters try to mix their bills into the crush of holiday shopping, federal agents and local police say. Counterfeiters also take advantage of technological advances in scanners and printers, which make it easier to duplicate currency. "The holiday season is a great time to pass counterfeit currency. The cashiers are overwhelmed," says John Large, special agent in charge of the Secret Service criminal investigations division. Among cities with recent counterfeiting cases: • In Milford, Mich., detectives this month were investigating the case of a 15-year-old boy who allegedly photographed currency on a scanner copier and passed it off at his high school cafeteria. • In Moultrie, Ga., earlier this month, banks found counterfeit $20 and $100 bills in merchants' deposits, says Lt. Alfonzo Cook, who commands the city's detective division. Moultrie police broke another counterfeiting case last summer, catching a man as he printed bills on a color scanner on his kitchen table. "Christmastime is always like this, but it's a little bit more intense this year," Cook says. "It probably has to do with the economy. I've got a feeling there's a lot more out there." Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more