Aniyah, owner of Binghi Ice on Melbourne Beach, posted a video on May 17 showing a teenager using a fake $100 bill to pay for a $20 frozen dessert order. The clip, which has since been viewed more than 8 million times, includes text overlay reading 'She gave me a fake $100 bill and told me to keep the change.' Aniyah captioned the post with the hashtags #binghiice, #melbournebeach, and #scammeralert. The video sparked widespread discussion online, with over 15,000 comments as of May 21.
Aniyah explained in a follow-up video that she chose not to involve police despite passing a counterfeit bill being a federal crime. 'I didn't call the police because I was a teenager once and did stupid stuff,' she said. 'Nobody was trying to come up with a solution to the problem.' The incident occurred at the Binghi Ice food truck, which operates in the 100 block of South Beach Drive.
The teenager's mother did not contact Aniyah before the video went viral, according to the business owner. Aniyah said she only received outreach from others after the clip spread across social media platforms. 'Her mom never called, nobody said anything to me at all until after the video was posted,' she stated in a statement to The Space Coast Rocket.
Binghi Ice has been a local fixture since 2022, serving shaved ice and frozen desserts to customers in Melbourne Beach. The business owner emphasized her focus on community over legal action. 'I would've wanted someone to give me a chance to redeem myself,' Aniyah said, reflecting on her own past mistakes. The U.S. Secret Service has not commented on the case, but federal law prohibits the use of counterfeit currency.
The incident highlights tensions between small business owners and the challenges of dealing with scams. Aniyah's decision to handle the situation publicly has drawn mixed reactions from locals. Some praised her for raising awareness about counterfeit bills, while others questioned her choice not to report the crime. The video remains a top trending topic on social media as of May 21.