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NORTH MANCHESTER - Two local businesses found a total of three counterfeit $20 bills Wednesday, according to the North Manchester Police Department.
Lance's New Market, Ind. 114, North Manchester, reported receiving two fake $20 bills. Clark Quick Stop, Main Street, North Manchester, reported getting one fake bill.
"It's just made its way up to Manchester," said North Manchester's Chief of Police Operations, Linda Learned.
Police had "no definite suspects" as of Thursday afternoon, Learned said. She could not say whether it was one or more people handing out the counterfeit cash and would not reveal how the businesses discovered the bills were counterfeit.
Learned commended the store managers for finding the fake bills.
North Manchester police are investigating.
Wabash County Sheriff's Department has not had any recent incidents with counterfeit money, according to Barry Hicks, the sheriff's department detective captain. He said five or six bills were found three or four years ago but nothing recently.
Law enforcement agencies report incidents involving counterfeit money to the U.S. Secret Service.
If counterfeit bills or coins are found, the Secret Service recommends not returning them to the "passer" but getting the passer's description and contacting local law enforcement or the Secret Service's field office.
To spot counterfeit cash, the Secret Service recommends checking the bill's portrait, Federal Reserve and Treasury seals, the bill's borders, serial numbers and the paper on which it is printed.
Genuine portraits appear lifelike and stand out from the background. The Federal Reserve and Treasury seals are clear, distinct and sharp, while fake bills' seals may be uneven or blunt. A genuine bill has fine-lined borders, while the counterfeit might be blurred and indistinct. Seal numbers on genuine bills are evenly spaced, of the same color and uniformly aligned. Genuine bills have tiny red and blue fibers embedded in the paper throughout while counterfeit money has the lines printed on the surface.
Reproducing the distinctive paper used in manufacturing genuine money is illegal.
