If You Suspect Counterfeit Money...

Over the last few weeks, Arnold Police Department crime reports have said that counterfeit money has appeared in the City of Arnold within the last two weeks.

ArnoldPatch posted two articles of counterfeit bills passed, in the city, on Dec. 6, Dec. 11  and on Dec. 17.

If you suspect a counterfeit note or have information about counterfeiting activity, report it immediately to the Arnold Police Department or to the U.S. Secret Service, says the agency's website.

For your personal safety. . . PLEASE:

1. Do not put yourself in danger.
2. Do not return the bill to the passer.
3. Delay the passer with some excuse, if possible.
4. Observe the passer's description - and their companions' descriptions - and write down their vehicle license plate numbers if you can.
5. Contact the Arnold Police Department at 636-282-2384 or call the U.S. Secret Service Office in St. Louis at 314-539-2238
6. Write your initials and date in the white border area of the suspected counterfeit note.
7. DO NOT handle the counterfeit note. Place it inside a protective cover, a plastic bag, or envelope to protect it until you place it in the hands of an IDENTIFIED Secret Service Agent.
8. Surrender the note or coin ONLY to a properly identified police officer or a Secret Service Special Agent, or mail it to your nearest U.S. Secret Service field office.

Note: There is no financial reward for the counterfeit bill but it is doing the "right thing" to combat counterfeiting, the agency's website says.

Tips to identify counterfeit currency.

Look at the money you receive. Compare a suspect note with a genuine note of the same denomination and series, paying attention to the quality of printing and paper characteristics. Look for differences, not similarities.

• Portrait — The genuine portrait appears lifelike and stands out  from the background. The counterfeit portrait is usually lifeless and flat. Details merge into the background which is often too dark or mottled. (See image)

• Federal Reserve and Treasury Seals — On a genuine bill, the saw-tooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals are clear, distinct, and sharp. The counterfeit seals may have uneven, blunt, or broken saw-tooth points. (See image)

• Border — The fine lines in the border of a genuine bill are clear and unbroken. On the counterfeit, the lines in the outer margin and scrollwork may be blurred and indistinct. (See image)

• Serial Numbers — Genuine serial numbers have a distinctive style and are evenly spaced. The serial numbers are printed in the same ink color as the Treasury Seal. On a counterfeit, the serial numbers may differ in color or shade of ink from the Treasury seal. The numbers may not be uniformly spaced or aligned. (See image)

• Paper — Genuine currency paper has tiny red and blue fibers embedded throughout. Often counterfeiters try to simulate these fibers by printing tiny red and blue lines on their paper. Close inspection reveals, however, that on the counterfeit note the lines are printed on the surface, not embedded in the paper. It is illegal to reproduce the distinctive paper used in the manufacturing of United States currency. (See image)