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Local merchants are being cautioned about accepting $100 bills after nearly a dozen have been found in Henryetta during recent weeks.
“We have had several brought in by businesses who thought they were good bills,” said Stacey Blanchett, American Exchange Bank. “Some of those are older bills that don’t have the security strip embedded in them. That makes us believe they are being “washed” from smaller bills such as five or ten dollars.”fake money
The washing process removes the ink from the lower denomination bills and the larger number being printed on the paper.
Judy Stidman, First National Bank, said that washing process makes it impossible for the special ink pens to detect the fake bills. She said the pens only prove the paper is authentic.
If a business or individual brings a counterfeit bill to the bank and tries to deposit it, they will lose that money completely. The banks do not return the bill to the business or individual and the deposit total reflects the loss.
“We have a lot of convenience and fast-food stores that see these bills and, because the clerks are inexperienced, they don’t know what to look for,” Blanchett said.
Some common ways to check for a counterfeit bill include:
  • Looking at the face of the bill, tilt the bill so the top edge is down, and see whether the ink in the bottom right corner changes color.
  • Check the embedded security thread that runs from the top edge to the bottom edge. If the bill started as a $5, it will read "U.S. five".
  • Check the watermark near the right edge of the bill's face; the portrait should match that on the bill.
  • Embedded security threads also glow different colors under ultraviolet light: blue for $5s, gold-yellow for $10s, green for $20s, gold-yellow for $50s, and red for $100s.
Both $20 and $100 dollar bills are the most commonly used by counterfeiters.