Brookings Police Warn Businesses and Residents of Circulating Counterfeit $50 Bills

Brookings Police issued an alert about counterfeit $50 bills circulating in the area, urging residents and businesses to stay vigilant.

Northeast Radio SD News - Brookings, SD - The Brookings Police Department is advising the public and local businesses to be on the lookout for counterfeit bills circulating in the area, urging vigilance when accepting paper currency.

"We have had one recent instance of counterfeit bills in Brookings, so we want residents and businesses to be vigilant when accepting paper currency,” stated Chief of Police Michael Drake.

The currency in question consists of $50 bills, according to Chief Drake. Investigators note that the counterfeit notes share a standard set of characteristics: they all have the exact serial numbers, feature a lighter blue color on the left of President Grant, and have a texture different from that of authentic U.S. currency.

Chief Drake encouraged businesses to invest in a counterfeit detector pen, noting it can be an effective tool for identifying fraudulent bills. The local alert follows a similar warning issued in mid-October by the Big Stone County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota, which notified businesses about counterfeit $50 bills reportedly used to make purchases. Big Stone County is located approximately 90 minutes northeast of Brookings.