Dowagiac police are asking locals to take caution of some phony cash that recently began circulating around the community.

Authorities are investigating a series of transactions made this month within city limits using counterfeit $100 bills. Police have seized three fake bills and received report of another that someone attempted to use at a local business, which use a distorted version of Benjamin Franklin’s iconic face on the front and have the words “For Motion Picture Use Only” printed on the back where the words “The United States of America” are printed on real dollar bills.

The first two uses of the counterfeit bills came earlier this month during transactions between users of the “letgo” mobile phone application, said Director of Public Safety Steven Grinnewald. The chief said the sellers received the same kind of fake bills when the buyers purchased goods from them during a pair of unrelated deals inside Dowagiac.

A short time later, a pair of local businesses received the same fake money. One cashier accepted the fake money and the other rejected it after noticing the bill was fraudulent, Grinnewald said.

“The bills feel a lot like new money,” Grinnewald said. “They also use the same font as real money. Unless you know what you are looking for, you could easily overlook the differences if you are doing things quickly.”

Grinnewald said the fake money was employed in another sale that took place outside the city, in Cass County.

The police chief said the department could not disclose the names of the businesses that received the counterfeit money, nor could he disclose any details on a potential suspect or suspects.

The department has received several other complaints of counterfeit money being passed around since January, though the fake bills were different from the ones used in this current rash of incidents.

The police chief recommended that businesses and private sellers be vigilant about the veracity of the money buyers hand them.

“Slow down, take a look at the bill and read it carefully,” Grinnewald said. “If you don’t, you could find yourself out several hundred dollars, depending on the transaction.”

Residents making private sales are invited to use the space in front of the police station at city hall, which is under 24 hour video surveillance, Grinnewald said.

Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call (269) 782-9743 or the Cass County Tip Line at (800) 462-9328.