LAKEPORT, Calif. – Local business associations reported on Thursday that a counterfeit $100 bill had been passed at a Lakeport business.

The Lakeport Main Street Association and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce urged businesses to be on the lookout for such bills being passed in the community.

According to the US Secret Service, there are important differences between counterfeit and real currency.

They include lifeless, flat portraits on counterfeit bills, unlike the more lifelike portraits on real bills, and the saw-tooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals, which are clear, distinct and sharp on real bills, while the counterfeit seals may have uneven, blunt or broken saw-tooth points.

On genuine currency, the fine lines in the border are clear and unbroken, while on the counterfeit, the lines in the outer margin and scrollwork may be blurred and indistinct.

The Secret Service said genuine serial numbers have a distinctive style and are evenly spaced, and the serial numbers are printed in the same ink color as the Treasury Seal. On a counterfeit, the serial numbers may differ in color or shade of ink from the Treasury seal, the numbers may not be uniformly spaced or aligned.

The paper of the bills also can be a giveaway.

Genuine currency paper has tiny red and blue fibers embedded throughout. Often counterfeiters try to simulate these fibers by printing tiny red and blue lines on their paper. However, close inspection reveals that on the counterfeit note the lines are printed on the surface, not embedded in the paper.

It is illegal to reproduce the distinctive paper used in the manufacturing of United States currency, the agency reported.

To see comparisons between real and counterfeit bills visit http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml.