Counterfeit bills crop up in Cass County

Businesses take notice: Counterfeit $20 bills are being passed in the Hackensack and Backus areas.

The Cass County Sheriff's Department reported in the past week several businesses in Backus and Hackensack have received fake $20 bills. Sheriff's Investigator Dan Gardner said some of the fake bills are poor in quality, but many are quite good. Though the sheriff's department has no suspects, Gardner said because so many are being passed it is believed the counterfeit bills are connected to one person or group of people.

The best defense for clerks and others who accept money is to examine all bills, Gardner said.

"Take a good look at the bill. If something doesn't look right, it usually isn't," he said. "We just want people to pay attention, to stop it before they get too big here."

The sheriff's department also encourages businesses to use special pens that detect counterfeit bills.

U.S. Small Business Administration reported small businesses are most at risk of receiving counterfeit currency because counterfeiters know that employees of small companies tend to receive less training in detecting bogus currency than those of major corporations.

Gardner also noted that in many cases, counterfeiters wait until a clerk is busy to pass fake bills because often during those instances the clerk will not closely inspect the money.

Other tips from the Small Business Administration include:

Compare a genuine bill to the bill in question. Look for differences between the two, rather than similarities.

Many of the $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills in circulation have a security thread to the left of the Federal Reserve seal. When held up to the light, the letters USA and the denomination of the bill are noticeable. This thread, added to bills printed after 1990, is a quick reference to verify legitimacy.

Examine the general look and feel of the bill. Genuine currency has a three-dimensional look. Counterfeit bills tend to look flat. Genuine bills have an embossed, rigid texture, while counterfeit bills are generally much smoother.

Paper stock - Look for red and blue fibers embedded in the paper.

Look for significant detail in crosshatch latticework.

Hidden microprinting on a security band in $20, $50 and $100 bills can be seen when held up to the light.

Check the clarity of the presidential etching.

Numbers and letters should be clear and evenly spaced.

Outer margins of the bill are very standard and clean.

Saw tooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals should be clear, sharp and unbroken.

MATT ERICKSON can be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.