West Plains Police Department issue counterfeit currency warning

Over the past week, the West Plains Police Department has taken several reports involving fake or counterfeit currency. Please make sure you are using best practices when accepting cash from someone.

Not all fake money is counterfeit currency, movie prop money or toy money can sometimes be easily passed for the real thing. Movie money was designed to look real while in use for motion picture films. It can have the same look as actual currency but, in most cases, does not have the same texture as actual cash.

It will usually read somewhere on the bill:

- For motion picture purposes

- Play money

- This note is not legal tender

It is still illegal for someone to try and pass movie money as real currency just as it is for counterfeit currency. This can lead to felony charges with just one offense.

U.S. bills contain many security markings which are difficult to forge. If you go to www.secretservice.gov/investigation/counterfeit and look for the Know Your Money button, it will give you information on how to identify counterfeit currency.

Other useful tools are things like Counterfeit Detector Pens. They are an easy and effective way to protect yourself or your business from counterfeit money. Simply make a mark on the bill in question with the pen and it will indicate whether it is real or fake.

Also, Ultraviolet (UV) Lights will activate marking on the bill not visible to the naked eye under normal lighting

conditions.

Fake or counterfeit currency can result in a big loss for you or your business. Take the time to look at some of the money you own. You should try and familiarize yourself so you can spot the difference between real and fake money. This can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the long run. Above is a photo of movie money.