Kauai police officials are warning the public to be on the lookout for fake $100 bills with red Chinese markings being used to buy merchandise.

Kauai police said they’ve recovered several fake bills.

Police said most business owners at a recent Kapaa outdoor market recognized the bills as fakes due to the Chinese markings on them.

Police advised merchants to be cautious, especially around this time of year when stores are busy and consumer spending is at its peak.

To properly identify counterfeit bills, police suggest comparing a suspect note with a genuine note of the same denomination.

Police said the fine lines on the border of a genuine note are clear and unbroken.

Police said that if the color of the serial number does not match the Treasury Seal, the bill is a fake.

For more tips on how to detect counterfeit money, visit the U.S. Secret Service website at www.secretservice.gov.

4 charged with robbing Pearl City business

Four Waipahu men were charged Sunday with robbing a Pearl City business at gunpoint and threatening a female clerk.

The suspects were apprehended a few hours after the robbery at 11 p.m. Friday on the Kunia offramp from the H-1 freeway after a police officer saw the car they were using matched the description of the getaway car, police said.

Arrested and charged with first-degree robbery were Folauga Agatonu, 25; Tamatoa Silva, 19; Kilipo Taesali Jr., 21; and William Tolai, 19. Bail for Silva, Taesali and Tolai was set at $20,000 each.

Bail for Agatonu was set at $50,000 because he was charged with two weapon violations.

Also arrested and charged with driving without a license was Jeff Sila, 22.