LIHUE >> Kauai police are warning the public about recent reports of counterfeit money.

Police said Thursday the public should be aware there are counterfeit bills going around.

Assistant Chief of the Investigative Services Bureau Michael Contrades says once a fake bill is accepted, it can be difficult to track down the suspect or recover lost funds.

Counterfeits vary from fake bills printed on regular paper to so-called “washed” bills, which are actual bills that are reprinted with a new denomination.

The Kauai Police Department offered these tips to detect counterfeit bills:

A genuine portrait appears lifelike and stands out from the background, while a counterfeit portrait will appear lifeless and flat.

The fine lines in the border of a genuine bill are clear and unbroken. On counterfeit, the lines may be broken or indistinct.

Genuine serial numbers have a distinct style and are evenly spaced, and they are printed in the same ink color as the Treasury seal. If the color of the Treasury Seal does not match the color of the serial number, the bill is fake.

For more tips on how to detect counterfeit money, visit the U.S. Secret Service website at www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml