Counterfeit $100 bills being passed locally

The Duluth Police Department would like to alert area businesses and citizens of counterfeit $100 bills being passed locally. In the past week there have been a number of reports to police involving the counterfeit $100 bills. Police continue the investigation into these reports.

The counterfeit $100 bills passed are of good quality and actually made from real U.S. $5 bills. Because of this, the counterfeit bills look and feel like real $100 bills and can be easily mistaken without close examination. The counterfeit bill still has two recognizable security features from the $5 bill. If you hold up a real $100 bill to the light, you should see a watermark portrait of Benjamin Franklin to one side of the bill and "USA100" printed in the bill's security thread. The counterfeit $100 bills being passed still have security features from a $5 bill, a watermark portrait of Abraham Lincoln to one side and "USAFIVE" printed on the security thread.

A caution to area merchants, counterfeit detection pens are ineffective in recognizing these counterfeit bills. It is suggested that merchants check for the correct watermarks and embedded security threads. Police ask everyone to carefully examine all U.S. currency in denominations of at least twenty dollars or larger that they receive.

If you receive what you believe is a counterfeit $100 bill, please call 911.

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