Sheriff Larry Waller, today, issued a warning to all citizens and businesses to be on the lookout for fake $100 bills. The bills look authentic but careful inspection will expose the flaws. The counterfeiters use a process where they wash the color out of a $5.00 bill leaving only the currency paper. They then print $100 bills on the paper. They pass through detectors and even show up as good currency using a counterfeit detection pen. The paper however still retains the correct watermarks and can be detected. Here are some ways to detect the counterfeit bills: ‘¢ Hold the bill in front of a light and you can see a watermark on the right side directly between the denomination numbers. Counterfeit bills have a likeness of Abraham Lincoln rather than Benjamin Franklin. Franklin should be on the $100 bills matching the picture. ‘¢ A vertical strip will also pass through the Federal Reserve Seal on the left side. The counterfeit $100 bills show the five USA strip from the original bill. ‘¢ A third way to identify any counterfeit bill is to hold it and rub an inked portion against a white paper. Real currency will leave a smudge whereas counterfeit ink will not smudge. Authentic currency ink never dries completely. The bills have been found in Upson County, but thus far none are known to have been passed in Lamar County. ‘We urge everyone to be extremely cautious when accepting $100 bills. Drive-thru’s and fast food restaurants have been primary targets and some have posted signs that $100 bills will not be accepted.’
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