FAIRMONT - In the past, money looked like money.
Except for the robed and disrobed standing Liberty debacle of 1917, quarters looked like quarters, pennies like pennies, and dollars like dollars.
But over the past 20 years, artists at the U.S. Mint have had their work cut out for them as each state got to design its own quarter, new pennies were unveiled and denomination after denomination of paper money has changed to a more modern and - in theory - more secure design.
For cashiers around Martin County, the ability to spot a counterfeit note has been put to the test lately, as a rush of fake $100 bills have been showing up at local banks.
According to Detective Eric Tonder of the Fairmont Police Department, the counterfeit bills are of "higher quality," meaning they are more difficult to spot.
The bills, originally $5 denominations, were "washed" and altered to read $100. Because they are printed on legitimate paper, the pens that cashiers sometimes use to check for counterfeits are useless.
Eileen Petersen, a teller at US Bank in Fairmont, said for someone looking closely, it is easy to tell if a bill is real, but it must be held up to the light.
"There are different features," she said. "You can tell just by looking at the bill. People at the store should be looking at them in the light."
U.S. paper currency has embedded security features. For $100 bills, they include a 3-D security ribbon and the "Bell in the Inkwell." It also includes features used in other U.S. denominations, such as the portrait watermark and security thread. Benjamin Franklin's face is seen in a watermark when the bill is held to the light, and "USA 100" is printed in a silver strip across the bill.
In the money being passed in Fairmont, the bills read $100, but it is Abraham Lincoln's face who appears when it is held to the light, and the silver strip repeats "USA 5."
While banks are usually the ones to find the bills, as there are machines the money goes through to check them, it is the stores that lose out when a counterfeit is passed. Because it is illegal to pass counterfeit money, stores are not reimbursed when a false note is found.
Bob Wallace, Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce president, said counterfeits have been passed pretty heavily over the past few days.
"The banks are getting them," he said. "Our businesses are getting them in their deposits."
Tonder said if a counterfeit is discovered, it is important to contact police right away. Keep the bill, and pay attention to details about the person who passed it and the vehicle he or she is driving.
