Dexter, Missouri - Taco Bell, McDonalds, Burger King and Wal Mart all reported counterfeit bills in the last couple of days in Dexter according to the Dexter Police Department. 

"Please take the extra time to look at small bills such as $10 and $20s," commented Dexter Police Chief Sammy Stone.  "We have had businesses report counterfeit $20 bills this week.  If in doubt, don't take the money.  Some of them are pretty good quality counterfeit so make sure you use the "pen" or hold up to the light to see all the security threads!"

Denominations were $20.  Local businesses should be on the lookout for more suspicious looking money.

LOOK FOR THE SECURITY THREAD!

The security thread is one of the most distinctive security indicators of an authentic bill

If you hold any bill up to the light, you will see a security strip on an authentic bill. It will have “USA” and the Bill’s denomination, aka “USA 20” running vertically on the bill.

The ultimate test is to put the bill under a UV or black light and make sure the bill glows the correct color. This extra security measure was originally added to provide a quick way for bar owners (one of the businesses most commonly targeted to dispose of counterfeit bills) to check the legitimacy of a bill.

Here are the location and colors of the security threads on different bills:

$5 – Right side. Glows blue under UV light

$10 – Right side. Glows orange under UV light

$20 – Far left hand side. Glows green under UV light

$50 – Right around the middle. Glows yellow Under UV light

$100 – On left side. Glows pink under UV light