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Police warn of counterfeit money being used at businesses

Posted at 8:28 AM, Jan 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-25 08:28:49-05

FREMONT, Mich. — Police in Newaygo County are warning residents about a rash of counterfeit money being passed around the community.

The Fremont Police Department says fake money is being passed around around businesses as well as nearby cities.

They are advising you to check your currency before accepting it.

To verify your money is real, hold a bill up to a light and look for a holograph of the face image on the bill. Both images should match. Looking at the bill through a light will also reveal a thin vertical strip containing text that spells out the bill’s denomination.

If the $100 bill has been bleached, the hologram will display an image of Abraham Lincoln, who appears on the $5 bills, instead of Benjamin Franklin.

The Fremont Police department offers some tips on what to watch out for:

Color-shifting ink: If you hold the new series bill (except the $5 note) and tilt it back and forth, please observe the numeral in the lower right hand corner as its color shifts from green to black and back.

Watermark: Hold the bill up to a light to view the watermark in an unprinted space to the right of the portrait. The watermark can be seen from both sides of the bill since it is not printed on the bill but is embedded in the paper.

-Security Thread: Hold he bill a light to view the security thread. You will see a thin embedded strip running from top to bottom on the face of a banknote. In the $10 and $50 the security strip is located to the right of the portrait, and in the $5, $20 and $100, it is located just to the left of the portrait.

-Ultraviolet Glow: If the bill is held up to an ultraviolet light, the $5 bill glows blue; the $10 bill glows orange, the $20 bill glows green, the $50 bill glows yellow, and the $100 bill glows red – if they are authentic.

-Micro-printing: There are minute microprinting on the security threads: the $5 bill has “USA FIVE” written on the thread; the $10 bill has “USA TEN” written on the thread; the $20 bill has “USA TWENTY” written on the thread; the $50 bill has “USA 50” written on the thread; and the $100 bill has the words “USA 100” written on the security thread. Microprinting can be found around the portrait as well as on the security threads.

-Fine Line Printing Patterns: Very fine lines have been added behind the portrait and on the reverse side scene to make it harder to reproduce.
Comparison: Compare the feel and texture of the paper with other bills you know are authentic.