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How to spot fake bills that are possibly being passed in Western Washington

SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — Authorities are warning people about counterfeit cash possibly coming through Western Washington.

Counterfeiters are using the fake $100 bills

in Shelton

.

The Seattle Secret Service office gets about $1 million in counterfeit bills every year.

If you're suspicious of a bill, hold it up to the light and look for:

  • A security thread on the left side.
  • You should a watermark: a ghostly image of the bill's portrait on the right side
  • Color -shifting ink: Tilt the note to see the numeral 20 or 100 in the lower right corner of the note shift from copper to green. 

It is important to know what the security features are in genuine currency, because if you end up with a counterfeit note, you will lose that money

Click here to learn more security features of U.S. currency bills

, or take a look at the diagrams below.

About the $20 bill 

About the $100 bill 

Secret Service Special Agent Robert Kierstead told KIRO 7 the majority of the fake bills the agency receives locally are twenties. Overseas, the hundred-dollar bill is the most circulated counterfeit.

Anyone who suspects counterfeit money should call police.

Cox Media Group

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