Counterfeit $100 Bills Passed by Woman at Two Stores in Irvington

A woman passed three counterfeit versions of the newly redesigned U.S. $100 bill to two Irvington, NY businesses on Friday afternoon, March 14, 2014. 

Her image was captured on video and Irvington police detective Michael Toolan described her as Hispanic, about 5'4," having dark hair and looking "a little chunky."

The bills were used for purchases at the Black Cat Cafe and Tra-La-La, a children's furniture, clothing and toy store. Both stores are located on Main Street. The Irvington police department has forwarded the bills to the United States Secret Service.

Detectve Toolan said the bills would be difficult to spot as fakes without the use of anti-counterfeit detection equipment. He also said they had different serial numbers. 

The same woman may have been involved in the use of a fake $100 bill to make a $4 yogurt purchase in Rye Brook in February, 2014. 

Two phony old-design $100 bills were used by a man on June 21, 2013 for a luggage purchase at Parkers on Purchase Street in Rye and one fake bill was passed the same day at Nine West in Port Chester.

The new $100 bills were introduced by the Federal Reserve in October, 2013.

The anti-counterfeit features of the bill include a blue security stripe on the front of the bill that is considered extremely difficult to reproduce. It has several hundred thousand impressions with "100s" and "bells" in patterns that change if the bill is tilted back and forth.

A color-shifting Liberty Bell on the bill changes color from copper to green depending on the angle of view. The bell can disappear depending on how the bill is tilted.