Counterfeit money reports are frequently the result of counterfeit bills being taken at fast food restaurants or convenience stores, but many other types of businesses such as travel agencies, souvenir shops or money changers have experienced losses this way as well.

This is a very serious problem, and the longer the counterfeit currency is being distributed and circulated, the harder it will be to find the source.

One way for business owners to avoid receiving counterfeit money is to use counterfeit money detectors or counterfeit detector pens.

Using a fake money detector or counterfeit money detector pen is an easy and affordable way to not fall prey to counterfeiters.

Counterfeit money detector pens are easily available at local office supply stores and are easy to use. Bills are marked before being accepted. A yellow result means the bill is good, while the bill is likely counterfeit if the mark turns black.

Each counterfeit detector pen costs around $4.99, thus very affordable to business owners. All businesses that accept cash are urged to use these pens to combat the continuing use of counterfeit currency .

Below are 5 simple tips to avoid getting conned:

1. Feel the bill. Most people especially cashiers who handle money a lot can identify a lower-quality fake bill instantly just by touching it.

2. Compare the bill with another of the same denomination and series. If the bill feels all right, or if you’re a little suspicious but unsure, hold the bill side-by-side with another bill. Different denominations, obviously, look different; so get a note of the same amount.

3. Look for colored strands in the paper. All U.S. bills have tiny red and blue fibers embedded in the paper. Counterfeiters sometimes try to reproduce these by printing these strands onto the paper, but if you look closely, you’ll see that they are printed on, rather than being part of the paper itself.

4. Hold it up to the light and look at the watermark. The watermark portrait should match the printed one (this is very important: bleaching and reprinting low value currency is a common scam).

5. Examine the serial numbers. Make sure the serial numbers on a bill match, and look at them carefully. Fake bills may have serial numbers that are not evenly spaced or that are not perfectly aligned in a row. If you received more than one suspicious bill, see if the serial numbers are the same on both bills—that’s a dead giveaway you’ve got a couple counterfeits.