Crime Stoppers: Tulsa Police need help finding suspects spreading counterfeit big bills

TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Police are asking everyone to check their cash as they are dealing with a group circulating fake 50 and 100 dollar bills.

FOX23 talked with the lead detective of the financial crimes unit about what to look out for and who they want to identify.

They may look like actual 50 dollar bills, but they're not.

And you may want to check your wallet because Lt. Andrew Weeden said you may have one.

"What we've seen here over the last two months is an uptick in counterfeit 50 dollar bills and 100 dollar bills that are making their way into circulation here in the Tulsa area," Weeden said.

He said someone is out there making the money.

"And then they are going to retail stores and they are buying things," he explained. "And then this counterfeit currency is finding itself in the system and then you may get some of this currency back."

Weeden said they've had reports from several different stores including Walgreens, Home Depot, Walmart and Dollar General.

"We've gotten surveillance video back from some of those stores and we've kind of narrowed it down to some repeat offenders," he said.

Police need help figuring out who these people are:

Weeden said they are using the big dollar fake bills to buy small dollar items worth around $5 and then pocketing the genuine cash they get in return.

"These are fake 50 dollar bills but they look real, that's because it is technically real money it's just not a 50," Weeden explained. "What it really is though is a five dollar bill that has been washed and turned into a 50."

So a cashier not testing it may never question it.

That being said, test your money yourself.

Hold big bills up to the light. In this case, the watermark shows its a five not a 50.

You can also do the UV light test.

A 50 is supposed to have a security thread that glows yellow, but a fake one glows blue, which also confirms it's a true five dollar bill.

Security features to look for:

• Watermarks of the presidents face located on the bill
• Color Shifting ink (lower right hand corner of bill, the denomination) that changes from copper to green when the bill is tilted.
• Security thread. This will glow a specific color under UV light that is specific to the denomination. ($50-yellow, $100-red/pink)

What should you do if you find a counterfeit bill:

• If a business recovers counterfeit bills at the end of a business day, but they have no idea who passed them or when they were passed, turn them in to your financial institution during your regular bank drops. If you have video surveillance or suspect information of who passed the counterfeit, call police and make a report.
• If someone, outside of a business, finds they have a counterfeit bill in their possession, they can turn the bill in to any financial institution or law enforcement official.

For more resources on counterfeit money and how you can detect it, click here .