Elkhart Police tracking down counterfeit cash

The Elkhart Police Department has had seven cases of counterfeit money in the month of July. This is out of about 20 cases for the year so far.

The most recent cases were at a Taco Bell and Dollar General in Elkhart.

Police want to warn people and businesses to check their cash, according to Sergeant Chris Snyder with the Elkhart Police Department.

“We’re not seeing a ton of it but we are starting to see it so we want to make everybody aware that we are seeing it out there,” said Snyder.

He said people need to be cautious and take the steps needed to avoid being a victim of this crime.

“To protect yourself from it, really look at your money. Spend some time looking at it,” Snyder added.

There are different methods people can use to check their money.

“You can look for the strip that is in there, that is inside the bill if you hold it up to a light you should be able to look through the bill and see the strip,” he said.

The portrait on real money will have a distinct and almost life-like appearance, but portraits on fake money will look flat.

Additionally, authentic money has serial numbers that are evenly spaced apart and are the same color ink as the treasury seal on the bill.

For more information on how to check for counterfeit money, click here.