Sheriff warns of bogus money

Merchants, retailers and consumers should be on the alert for phony $50 and $100 bills being passed in the local area. The fake bills are $5 bills that have been bleached and altered, making it difficult for devices used to detect counterfeit currency to determine whether they’re valid.

People who suspect they have received counterfeit money can ask a bank to determine if the note is real. The Secret Service says there are a number of ways to detect counterfeit money.

Hold the bill to light for a watermark of the face image on the bill. The images should match.

If the $50 or $100 bill has been bleached, the watermark will display an image of Abraham Lincoln, who appears on $5 bills, instead of U.S. Grant on $50 and Benjamin Franklin on $100 bills.

Holding the bill up to the light also will reveal a thin vertical strip containing text that spells out the bill’s denomination.