The unidentified merchants in Quakertown went to the bank and were told the bills were not real $100 bills.
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Criminals get away with it by "washing" currency, or changing the amounts on the bill to a higher denomination, like making $100 from a $10.
Because it is still a real bill, counterfeit detection pens are useless.
"Basically, change the amounts and the image on it to a higher denomination. These pens are marking on the washed bills, because they are, in fact, real bills," said Ryan Hawke, an officer with Quakertown Borough Police.
Legit $100 bills have five security features:
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- A 3D security ribbon
- A bell in the inkwell
- A color-shifting numeral
- A watermark
- A security thread