Do you know the difference between real money and fake money? If not, you need to be aware of the differences because right now there is a lot of fake money going around. The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office says in a recent Facebook post that their office investigates complaints of counterfeit money throughout the year. According to their post, the majority of the complaints come from local truck stop casinos.  The fake money comes in all denominations and they are also not being detected with the marking pens. The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office gives tips on how to know if your money is real or fake.

FEEL THE BILL: Counterfeit money will feel different than authentic money which is made of cotton and linen.

LOOK AT THE BILL: Authentic money will have embedded red and blue fibers. Counterfeit money does not have the fibers, but sometimes they print the red and blue on the paper to appear like fibers. Many times, the counterfeit money colors will be off.

CHECK FOR SECURITY FEATURES: Except for the $1 and $2 bills, the easiest way to spot a fake bill is to look for the security features, which includes embedded security thread (a plastic strip) running from top to bottom. Hold the bill up to the light and you will see the strip and printing on it.  When you hold it up to the light, this also lets you check for a watermark. A watermark bearing the image of the person whose portrait is on the bill can be found on all $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills from 1996 and later, and on $5 bills from 1999 and later.

NOTIFY AUTHORITIES: Call local law enforcement if you think you have counterfeit money.

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