Local merchant finds fake money

Fort Scott Police took a report of a counterfeit $20 bill that was passed at a downtown shop on Tuesday.

Kevin Everett, employee at Books and Grannies at 11 N. Main St., noticed several irregularities on the bill. It has a blue tint and looked different when lined up beside other bills, Everett said. There was no water mark and ink around the border appeared to be smeared.

He took the bill to a local bank, which then marked it with a special pen that detects counterfeits. The $20 bill flunked the test.

He then called police and they took a criminal report on Wednesday. Police will forward the bill to federal authorities, which handle counterfeit cases.

Police urge area businesses to be careful and alert when taking cash. There's been other unconfirmed reports from area businesses that have noticed suspect bills but no official reports other than the one at Books and Grannies have been taken, police said.