Zachary Sanford—Staff Writer

Reports of counterfeit money have been circulating around Northwest Iowa. Local authorities have found fake dollar bills in small quantities, last year and now over the past few months. The findings consisted of everything from $5 to $50 bills.

Police say the bills seized during a morning search warrant include the words ‘motion picture use only’ on the front and back.

The money was first discovered by a Sioux Center bank. Although it has ‘motion picture use only’ printed on it, the money still looks very realistic.

Sioux Center is not the only place the money has been found. It has been discovered in Hospers, Orange City, and Middleburg.

Other differences on the bills include misspellings of words such as “Secretary” in “Secretary of the Treasury.” Also, Andrew Jackson’s picture is distorted

This isn’t the first time this has happened in Northwest Iowa. In November of last year, Hospers Police arrested two people who exchanged bills at the Kum & Go convenience store. They paid a total of $90 using counterfeit bills. They were both charged with forgery, a felony, fifth-degree theft and a simple misdemeanor

Police say they often see smaller bills faked, like 1’s and 5’s, instead of larger bills because they are much harder to catch. Even having a counterfeit bill on your person can land you in trouble because possessing a counterfeit is a felony.

So what should you do if you unknowingly come into the possession of a counterfeit bill?

“Encourage them to call the police. Ok, that way, we can come and talk to them and determine what their involvement is. They may have gotten it from a friend, they may have found it on the street thinking it’s  a great day they found money on the street” said Detective Nice, a Sioux County detective in an interview.