Merchants are getting a warning from Colorado Springs police tonight:  Watch out for fake $100 bills that are going around.

Police issued the alert late Friday afternoon.  The say the fake is a real $1 bill that has been washed out and then imprinted with the higher amount.

Merchants using a marking pen to validate the bill will think it's a $100 bill, police said, so merchants should look closely at them for verification.  A close inspection should reveal defects in the counterfeit currency, police said.

Police didn't say how many of the counterfeit bills have been found, or which businesses had them.