According to Fort Dodge Police Chief Dennis Quinn, there have been 10 confirmed reports of counterfeit bills being found in Fort Dodge over the last 30 days. FDPD calls for service records show that on Monday alone there were two incidents involving fake money reported.

“The majority of them are $10,” Quinn said. “They say something that varies anywhere from ‘motion picture use’ to the bill says ‘replica.'”

At a quick glance, the bills often look legitimate, but the discrepancies will be obvious upon a closer look, Quinn said.

The FDPD has also been alerted to a few $100 bills, the chief said. Most of the fakes have been discovered because a cashier or teller used a counterfeit bill detector pen to check the money’s authenticity. Officers have also reported that the paper the bills are printed on feels completely different than that of real U.S. currency.

It’s hard for officers and investigators to pinpoint exactly where these counterfeit bills are coming from, Quinn said, because most of the victims have reported that they believe they received it as change from a garage sale or from a gas station, or they have had the fake money for a few days and don’t remember specifically where they received it.

Quinn also noted that sellers who do business primarily in cash, like hosts of garage sales or vendors at a farmers market, should pay attention to the cash they’re working with because they could also unwittingly give a counterfeit bill as change.

Anyone who receives a counterfeit bill should report it immediately to law enforcement, Quinn said.

“Come down to the police station, turn it in and make out a report,” he said.

Official reports make it easier for law enforcement to track trends in counterfeit bill use and can help officers investigate a particular incident. If a victim is able to pinpoint when and where they received the counterfeit, the investigating officer can look into seeing if there’s security video that may help identify a suspect and lead to a conviction, Quinn said.

How to identify a counterfeit bill

According to the United States Secret Service, which investigates counterfeit currency at the federal level, there are many ways to identify whether a bill is legitimate or fake.

U.S. currency paper has a different weight and texture than run-of-the-mill printer paper — it consists of 25% linen and 75% cotton and contains small red and blue security fibers that are embedded randomly throughout the paper.

Bills produced after 2004, except $1 and $2 bills, have a watermark that is visible from either side when held to light and a clear security thread embedded vertically on the paper that is visible when held to light. The security threads are in a different position for each denomination and glows a different color when held to ultraviolet light.

The $100 bill also features a blue ribbon with images of bells and “100”s woven into the paper.

The $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills have color-shifting ink that shifts from copper to green as the note is tilted 45 degrees. The $100 bill also features a color-shifting “bell in the inkwell.”

The $1 and $2 bills have raised printing.

Counterfeit bill detector pens can also help catch fake cash and are available for purchase at stores that sell office supplies or online.

For more information on the Secret Service’s role in investigating counterfeit currency, visit https://www.secretservice.gov/investigation/counterfeit.