NATCHEZ — Several Natchez businesses have reported receiving counterfeit $100 bills since the past weekend, Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong said Wednesday.

“We got three reports today alone,” Armstrong said. “They are very similar to a real $100 bill.”

Armstrong advises area merchants to be on the alert for anyone passing the fake money.

Counterfeit detector marker pens, Armstrong said, appear to leave a mark on the batch of five counterfeit bills police have confiscated since last weekend and may not be an effective way to determine whether a bill is phony.

“Examine bills very closely, and become familiar with what real bills look like,” Armstrong said, “because a marker may not reveal it is fake.”

Armstrong advises that anyone who receives a counterfeit bill contact the appropriate law enforcement agency immediately, and make note of any video surveillance equipment that may have captured the person passing the bill.

“Let us look at it,” Armstrong said.

The Natchez Police Department can be reached at 601-445-5565.