Windsor police is asking consumers and businesses to be extra vigilant after a number of counterfeit U.S. $20 bills have been used in the region.

According to police, several counterfeit $20 bills have passed through stores in the Windsor area over the last few weeks.

As a result, officers have issued advice on how to easily detect whether these bills are real:

  • Hold the bill up to the light and look through it. A small watermark of the portrait appears.
  • Look at the number “20” in the lower right corner – when you tilt the note up and down, the number “20” changes color from copper to green.
  • Hold the bill up to the light and look through it.  There should be a security thread embedded in the bank note that runs vertically up one side of the note.

If you come across a fake bill, you’re asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.