The use of counterfeit money is prevalent and on the rise in Littleton

The use of counterfeit money is prevalent and on the rise in Littleton, where police are asking for the public’s help in a new case involving fake currency passed at Applebee’s on Nov. 20. A photograph posted by police on Tuesday shows two persons of interest. “The persons of interest may have information as to who passed the counterfeit currency,” Littleton Police Chief Paul Smith said Wednesday. Sometimes, people don’t know they have counterfeit currency, thereby making them persons of interest and not necessarily suspects, said Smith. “It’s pretty prevalent,” he said of fake money found around town. The way it works is if federal law enforcement traces the money and finds a “hot spot,” an investigator will be sent into an area, said Smith. “If what’s being counterfeited are $20 bills, they probably won’t return your call, but $100 bills are more and more frequently counterfeited,” he said.