Counterfeit bills surfacing around Eastern Iowa

Authorities in Cedar Rapids, Williamsburg and Poweshiek County have discovered counterfeit bills in recent weeks.

Cedar Rapids police Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said three fake $20 bills and two fake $100 bills have been presented at businesses across the city. She said Williamsburg police discovered counterfeit $100 bills passed at the Tanger Factory Outlet Center last Friday and Saturday.

In all of the jurisdictions, the money was real, but the denomination had been changed, Hamblin said. Many businesses use special pens to determine if the money is counterfeit, but those pens don't work if only the denomination is changed.

Police recommend looking for watermarks and red and blue fibers that are embedded in the bill. In the watermark, the currency should be spelled out, and and the picture of the president should match the one that's on the front of the bill, Hamblin said. Fake money could also feel different to the touch.

Other ways to identify counterfeit bills are on the U.S. Secret Service website at www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml.

Anyone with information about the recent counterfeit bills is asked to call Linn County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-CR-CRIME. Anonymous calls are accepted, and rewards are possible if the information leads to an arrest.