Counterfeit bills being found here

Local residents should be on the lookout for fake bills in and around the county. Counterfeit money has been showing up in the county for about the last two months, said Sparta Police Department Lt. Ricky Royal.

Royal urged those who receive bogus bills to keep record of where they received them and to contact their bank or local law enforcement. Fake bills have turned up at several local establishments.

Royal said that those accepting money should check for the imbedded thread marks, which can be seen by holding the bill up to a light. Those thread marks include the denomination of the money. "That's what they need to pay particular attention to," said Royal. "There are some counterfeit bills that are going around that are being made by bleaching out smaller denominations of bills and printing larger denominations on the bill." For instance, he said, some recent counterfeit work discovered in the county involved $5 bills that were bleached out and reprinted as $20- and $100-dollar bills.

Bills also have imbedded holograms that may be checked to ensure authenticity as well. The hologram, located in various places on the bill depending on the denomination, matching the portrait that also is on the bill.