Over the last several days, fake $100 — totaling nearly $15,000 in value were they real — have been showing up on area streets, including S. Natchez and E. Adams streets, several locations along Huntington Street, and near the Attala County library.
“We’ve gotten numerous calls in the last few days about money in the streets throughout town,” Kosciusko Police Chief Herbert Dew said.
According to the Chief, a number of people have turned in bunches of the bills to the department, while others have called police to the various locations where they have been found.
Some, but not all of the fake $100 bills have information printed on them indicating they are prop money, similar to that used in filming tv shows and movies. The bills are made of thicker paper than currency, though some appears to have been washed to soften it so it is less obvious.
A lone counterfeit $5 was received by police after the man turning it in said he received it as part of change from a purchase made at a local store. That bill looks more realistic, according to Dew.
Dew urged local residents to more carefully examine cash more closely since more counterfeit bills may have made their way into the local retail system.
“If that one five is out there, there are probably more,” the Chief said. “This stuff is floating around and I hope nobody accepts any of it.”
If you receive any fake money, Dew said you can bring it to the department or call police at 662-289-3131 and an officer will come pick it up.
Producing or knowingly using counterfeit cash is a criminal offense which can be prosecuted at a felony level depending upon the amount someone attempts to use in a transaction.
