With the annual increase in traffic from visitors from off the Kenai Peninsula, this is the time of year counterfeit currency often starts showing up in ever-increasing volume.
The Alaska State Troopers report that a fake $20 bill was recovered from a convenience store in Cooper Landing last week.
Troopers from Seward responded last Tuesday and found out that the bill was used sometime over the previous weekend.
The past two months have seen a rash of counterfeit bills being passed in Anchorage, with even Girl Scouts being taken when someone used fake $100 bills to buy cookies, according to a report in the Alaska Star. The online newsletter for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson also published a guide last month on how to tell fake money from real.
The Anchorage Police Department said real money, made of cotton and linen, feels far different than fake money printed on regular paper. A spokeswoman for the APD said they've even seen counterfeits with Turkish and Chinese text printed on them.
Authorities are asking anyone who spots a counterfeit to contact them immediately.