Police investigating counterfeit $100s

Colquitt isn't the only town where counterfeit bills have shown up over the holidays.

Bainbridge Public Safety is investigating a local bank's report that it discovered fivecounterfeit $100 bills contained in business deposits it received, according to an incident report.

The U.S. Secret Service, which investigates counterfeiting, offers suggestions for spotting fake or altered currency on its website at www. secretservice.gov. The most common type of currency, Federal Reserve notes, are printed with a green Treasury seal and serial numbers. On U.S. notes they are red and on silver certificates, they are blue. Notes of $500 or greater value have not been printed for many years and are being withdrawn from circulation.

According to the Secret Service, a common trick of small-time counterfeiters is to alter the denomination of actual currency, for example, by taping the number 10 onto the corners of a $1 bill. However, every currency note has its actual denomination written out -- for example.

"One Dollar" -- in addition to a notable figure in U.S. history featured on the bill's portrait.

No living figure, such as Bill Clinton or George W. Bush, is pictured on real U.S. currency. In fact, no U.S. president serving after 1901 is pictured on any real printed currency.

Other distinguishing features of real printed currency include the texture of the high-quality cotton rag it is printed on, which feels different from common paper, and special color-changing ink found on the $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills.

People who doubt that a bill they received is genuine are asked to call the U.S. Secret Service, their bank or the police.