Counterfeit money circulating Rabun County

CLAYTON — Shoppers and business owners beware – and make sure to check your money.

That’s the message Clayton Chief of Police Andy Strait wants the public to know.

Law enforcement in Rabun County is warning the public of counterfeit money that is circulating in the area. Strait told WRBN on Thursday that two incidents have occurred in the last two weeks – one involving a $20 bill and the other incident featuring a $100 bill that went accidentally unnoticed by an unnamed bank teller.

Strait advised that residents move forward with caution and make sure to keep a cautious eye out for any currency that looks suspicious.

In an interview with WRBN he offered the following tips:

• Color shifting ink – One of the first things to look for when checking to see whether or not a bill is authentic is to see if the bill denomination on the bottom right-hand corner has the right color-shifting ink. All denominations of $5 or more have this security feature, going back to 1996. Take a $20 for example, the 20 on the bottom right-hand corner will have a copper color when you are looking straight at it. But, if you rotate the top of the bill down so that the bill looks flatter to your eye, it will turn more of a greenish color.
• Security Thread – The security thread is one of the most distinctive security indicators of an authentic bill. If you hold any bill up to the light, you will see a security strip on an authentic bill. It will have “USA” and the bills denomination, “USA 20” running vertically on the bill. The ultimate test is to put the bill under a UV or black light and make sure the bill glows the correct color. This extra security measure was originally added to provide a quick way for bar owners (one of the businesses most commonly targeted to dispose of counterfeit bills) to check the legitimacy of a bill.
• Security Ribbon – The newly printed $100 has an extra security feature. There is a visible blue security ribbon down the right middle of the bill that is 3D. If you move it back and forth, you will actually see the number 100 and a variety of little bells will move from side-to-side as the bill shifts.