Fake $20 bills found in Crossville. (Source: Kyle Grainger, WVLT)

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Banks across East Tennessee spend hours training tellers on how to look out for counterfeit money. At Tennessee State Bank they say a series of checks go in to make sure the money you get is real.

Kate Hendrickson has spent the past 11 years training bank employees on how to spot fake money. From the feel to the look of the bill she knows the business and admits she's even had to look twice because some counterfeit money is good.

"Some of them are really good. There's some bad ones and there's some good ones," said Hendrickson. "That's why it's so important that you learn to spot what's real and what's genuine. Because there's some really good ones out there"

Banks also use electronic equipment that can detect the counterfeit money. Hendrickson said money you get from inside or outside at an ATM is safe.

"Because of all those security checks they do, banks say it's highly unlikely they'll give you counterfeit cash even coming out of an ATM," she added.

In Crossville, police there say they've gathered more than $3,000 since a counterfeit scam popped up months ago. Now the Secret Service is stepping in to help find out where the money is coming from.

"The federal government, the treasury department will get involved with me when we reach $5,000," said Detective William Padget with the Crossville Police Department. "I've been on the phone with them this morning and hopefully they'll be here Friday."

It is a federal crime to make money, but in Tennessee it is a state law to possess it. Though police and the bank remind everyone the last person caught with it is out of that amount of money.

The bank sends tellers through an online tutorial that you can take through the link below.