Beware of Counterfeit Money This Shopping Season

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – With the official shopping season getting underway, consumers and retailers should be on the look out for all sorts of scams including counterfeit money. This year the US Mint issued a newly designed 100 dollar bill with added security features to help put a stop to illegal counterfeiting. The bill now has a metallic blue strip that is difficult to duplicate. The busy holiday shopping season can be a perfect opportunity for criminals to strike but Columbus Assistant Police Chief Tony Carleton says there is something we all can do to raise awareness.

“If you pay with a large bill, say a 100 and you get several 20s back, a lot times people just fold it up and put it in their pocket. That’s the time we need to check it to make sure we’re not receiving it,” says Carleton.

Carleton says if you come across counterfeit money, try and remember where you got it and immediately contact your local police department