Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009 • Police concerned with counterfeit bill circulation

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009, edition of the Lassen County Times.

The Susanville Police Department has received several reports of counterfeit $100 bills during the past week.

The SPD said in a press release the bills have been generally used to make small purchases, with the balance received in cash. The SPD is urging merchants and citizens in the city to be aware of the possibility receiving counterfeit currency and to check that more than one safety feature appears on each bill to confirm it is a valid note. Security features on U.S. currency include watermarks visible when held to the light, security threads embedded within the bill, and other security features.

Here are some of the security features to be on the look out for, provided by the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Domestic Finance

• Color-shifting Ink: If you hold the new series bill (except the $5 note) and tilt it back and forth. Observe the numeral in the lower right hand corner as its color shifts from green to black and back.
• Watermark: Hold the bill up to a light to view the watermark in an unprinted space to the right of the portrait. The watermark can be seen from both sides of the bill since it is not printed on the bill but is imbedded in the paper.
• Security thread: Hold the bill up to a light to view the security thread. You will see a thin imbedded strip running from top to bottom on the face of a banknote. In the $10 and $50 the security strip is located to the right of the portrait, and in the $5, $20, and $100, it is located just to the left of the portrait.
• Ultraviolet glow: If the bill is held up to an ultraviolet light, the $5 bill glows blue; the $10 bill glows orange, the $20 bill glows green, the $50 bill glows yellow and the $100 bill glows red – if they are authentic.
• Microprinting: There is minute microprinting on the security threads: the $5 bill has “USA FIVE” written on the thread, the $10 bill has “USA TEN” written on the thread; the $20 bill has “USA TWENTY” written on the security thread; the $50 bill has “USA 50” written on the thread; and the $100 bill has the words “USA 100” written on the security thread. Microprinting can be found around the portrait as well as on the security threads.
• Fine line printing patterns: Very fine lines have been added behind the portrait and on the reverse side scene to make it harder to reproduce.
• Comparison: Compare the feel and texture of the paper with other bills that you know are authentic.

The SPD said people should contact their local financial institution for additional information regarding these features. People can also visit the U.S. Treasury Department Web site at ustreas.gov

The SPD is still investigating these incidents.