AURORA, Colo. — It’s definitely not the Denver Mint, but inside a Colorado warehouse, workers handle things like coins and bills that feature Donald Trump’s image.
NBC News investigated the “Trump Bucks” marketing ploy in which companies use the warehouse in Aurora to distribute items like a “$10,000 Trump Diamond Banknote” that people can buy in bulk for hundreds of dollars.
“They’ve been peddling 'Trump Bucks,' which are emblazoned with photos of the former president, and advertising them online as a kind of golden ticket that will help propel Trump’s 2024 bid and make the 'real patriots' who support him rich when cashed in,” NBC News reporters wrote.
The report featured victims, including an Alabama grandmother who tried to cash in her “Trump Bucks” at a bank, only to be told she had been “scammed.”
The investigation highlighted several companies that list the warehouse as an address and a place where people can send their purchases in for a refund.
The warehouse located in the 19000 block of East 35th Drive is managed by ShipOffers, a company that serves as a fulfillment and distribution operation for the “Trump Bucks” companies and other entities that sell vitamins and supplements online.
The author of this article visited the warehouse but was not allowed to see any of the “Trump Bucks” by an onsite manager.
“Unfortunately, I can’t let you see any of the customers’ products,” the manager said.
Another ShipOffers manager reached by phone stressed that her company is a “third-party company” that does not make or sell the “Trump Bucks.” The manager declined to comment about the NBC News investigation.
NBC News reported there is no criminal investigation into the companies and that there is no indication Trump himself is officially connected to the “Trump Bucks” marketing efforts.
Since the network’s investigation, some of the websites that were selling the imitation currency have stopped working.
If you have any information about this story or would like to send a news tip, you can contact jeremy@9news.com.
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