Area police department issues press release about fake money

The Mountain Lake Police Department has issued a press release that warns local businesses to be on the lookout for counterfeit money being used in the community.

Counterfeit $50 bills had been reported at local businesses in the past week, the release said. The police department reported that the counterfeit bills that were used pass a pen test, so pen checks alone would not catch the bills.

The press release states: “On counterfeit bills, the vertical security strip that reads “USA 50” does not glow under UV light. Using a UV light to check if the security thread glows is the easiest and most reliable way to detect the current fakes we are seeing.”