Counterfeit $100 Bills Circulating in New London

Counterfeit $100 bills are being found in New London, police said. 

Police are asking businesses and citizens to be extra cautious when handling currency, especially the $100 bills. 

Thirteen fake $100 bills have been seized and police said they are investigating an incident that happened on May 24 involving counterfeit currency.

No arrests have been made.

The Secret Service has been notified and is assisting New London police with the investigation.

Anyone who has come in contact with fake money is urged to call police.

Here are tips on how to spot a fake bill, according to New London Police:

  • Color shifting ink on the dollar amount located on the face side in the bottom right corner.
  • Color-shifting ink can be found on $100, $50 and $20 dollar bills series 1996 and later, and on $10 dollar bills series 1999 and later.
  • $5 and lower bills do not yet have this feature. The color originally appeared to change from green to black, but it goes from copper to green in recent redesigns of the bills.
  • Security threads, which display the denomination of the currency imbedded in the bill.
  • The thread is embedded in (not printed on) the paper and runs vertically through the clear field to the left of the Federal Reserve Seal. On authentic bills, this should be easily visible against a light source.
  • Watermarks located on the face of the bill on the right side. Use natural light to see if the bill bears an image of the person whose portrait is on the bill.
  • Hold the bill up to a light to check for a watermark. A watermark bearing the image of the person whose portrait is on the bill can be found on all $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills series 1996 and later, and on $5 bills series 1999 and later.
  • The watermark is embedded in the paper to the right of the portrait and should be visible from both sides of the bill.
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