Federal authorities are warning merchants to be on the lookout for stolen $100 bills that aren't supposed to go into circulation until next year.
The bills were stolen from an airplane that landed in Philadelphia from Dallas Thursday morning. The plane had been transporting money from the Federal Reserve facility in Dallas.
The theft was reported by a courier service transporting the C-notes when the shipment arrived Thursday afternoon at the Federal Reserve Building in East Rutherford, N.J. Officials then discovered some of the money was missing.
Investigators said these Benjamins are easy to spot. The new bills have sophisticated elements to thwart counterfeiters, like a disappearing Liberty Bell in an orange inkwell and a bright blue security ribbon.
The FBI said a "large amount'' of bills were stolen, but agents aren't giving specifics.
The $100 bills are not scheduled to be released into circulation until next year.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at 215-418-4000.
