KINGWOOD — The Preston County Sheriff’s Office recently investigated numerous reports of counterfeit U.S. currency.
According to a press release, the bills in question are all larger denominations and at first glance appear to be authentic.
Police warn that several of these counterfeit bills have been recovered, and officials believe several more are in circulation.
Anyone who comes into possession of these bills is asked to contact the local law enforcement agency.
The release says smaller denomination bills are being washed in a chemical solution, then reprinted as a larger denomination. Even though the printing process is of a poor quality, the counterfeit currency is defeating the standard methods of identification.
Most businesses use a pen that indicates the authenticity of the bill, and since the paper stock is accurate, the pen indicates that the counterfeit bill is genuine.
The counterfeit currency recovered so far by Preston police is easily identifiable by looking at the security features incorporated into each bill during production, according to police.
Previous watermarks and security strips are visible when held up to a light source and show the denomination of the bills prior to tampering.
The counterfeit currency also has the texture of money that has run through a standard clothes washer and dryer.
Most banking institutions have advanced technology, and are more than willing to authenticate any currency that their customers may question, police said.
Contact the Preston County Sheriff’s Department, at 304-329-1611, if you believe that you have counterfeit money.
