CARBONDALE, Ill. (WSIL) -- Carbondale police are alerting businesses and residents about counterfeit bills circulating in the area.
Police say these counterfeit bills are printed on genuine U.S. currency paper and may appear valid when checked with a counterfeit detection pen.
News 3 spoke with Carbondale Community Resource Officer Randy Mathis about how to spot counterfeit money. He says unless you are an expert it can be hard to tell the difference.Â
"There are a lot of different characteristics with bills that help illustrate what is genuine and what is not. There's things like micro printing, color shifting printing. There's watermarks, there's some security striping," Mathis said.
The police department is urging businesses and citizens to verify the authenticity of the bills they receive. Mathis says there are resources available for people to learn the differences.
"If you go and visit the Secret Service website, they have actually some publications about how to tell the difference, but it can be a little bit challenging. So that's why we do request that sometimes it does take a little bit of effort of the business to properly vet the bills that they get in," Mathis said.Â
Authorities ask the public to be patient with businesses as they check suspected counterfeit currency. He says if you accidently come into contact with a counterfeit bill as a consumer, not to worry.Â
If you receive counterfeit currency or have information regarding these incidents, contact the Carbondale Police Department at 618-457-3200.
