If you have US dollars and are unsure of their authenticity, follow the steps in this article to certify the real value of your money. It is illegal to own, produce or use counterfeit money. If you live in the United States and a prosecutor (the prosecutor) can prove that you acted intentionally, federal law can punish you with a hefty fine and up to 20 years in prison. If you accidentally come into possession of a counterfeit banknote, you must contact the appropriate authorities.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Touch Control
Step 1. Test the texture of the paper
Counterfeit banknotes often feel different to the touch than real money.
- Genuine dollars are made of cotton and linen fibers. This means that the material is distinctly different from the normal paper that is produced with trees. Real money is stronger and is always "crunchy" no matter how long it has been around. Plain paper tends to tear, becomes soft, and wears with age.
- The paper used for printing banknotes is not available on the market. Furthermore, its chemical composition, like that of the ink, is secret. Even if you are not very experienced in detecting counterfeit banknotes, you should be able to notice this difference in texture.
- Real money features slightly embossed ink due to the intaglio printing process. You should be able to feel the consistency of the ink especially on new cards.
- Run your fingernail over the dress of the portrait reproduced on the bill. You should clearly feel the crests of the design. Counterfeiters are unable to reproduce this feature.
Step 2. Check the thickness of the banknote
Real money is typically thinner than counterfeit money.
- The banknote production process involves applying a pressure of thousands of kilos during printing and, therefore, real dollars are thinner and "crispier" than normal paper.
- The only option left to most counterfeiters is to use thin rag paper, available at specialty stationery stores. However, this material turns out to be thicker than that of genuine banknotes.
Step 3. Compare the banknote you own with another of the same value and series
Each denomination is different, so make sure the paper is of the same value.
- If you still have doubts about the quality of the banknote, combine it with a note whose authenticity you are certain. This way you can feel the difference.
- All but the $ 1 and $ 2 denominations have been redesigned at least once since 1990, so it's best to compare the suspect dollar with one from the same series or date.
- Although the appearance of paper money has changed over the years, the distinct feel has remained unchanged. In fact, a ticket printed 50 years ago should have the same tactile feel as a brand new one.
Method 2 of 4: Visual Inspection
Step 1. Check the print quality
Fake tickets are rather "flat" and poor in detail. This is because the production of real money involves an unknown printing method and therefore extremely difficult to replicate, while counterfeiters are often forced to improvise.
- The real US dollars are printed using techniques that normal digital printers and offset machines (the most popular tools among counterfeiters) are unable to reproduce. Check for any blurry areas, especially in small details near the edges.
- Check for colored fibers in the paper. All US dollars have fine blue and red fibers embedded in the watermark. Sometimes counterfeiters try to reproduce this feature by printing or drawing it on paper. As a result, fibers are clearly imprinted on the paper rather than inserted inside.
Step 2. Check the edges
The external one must be "clear and seamless" according to what has been declared by the Secret Services.
- On the seals of the Federal Reserve and the Department of the Treasury, the two sawtooth engravings on the edges should be sharp and well defined, if the note is true. Fake dollar seals are often uneven and sawtooth engravings appear blunt or with a broken point.
- Check for ink smears. Due to the different printing methods, many times the ink on the edges is smeared when the card is fake.
Step 3. Look at the portrait
Check the character image on the bill. There may be many elements that make you understand if it is fake money.
- Portraits on counterfeit dollars can appear dull, fuzzy and flat, while genuine money bears well-defined images rich in finely crafted detail.
- On the real paper money, the portrait tends to stand out from the background. On fake tickets, the colors of the portrait tend to blend in with the rest of the images.
- Use a magnifying glass to carefully check the edge of the portrait. You should be able to read "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" repeated along the frame of the figure. To the naked eye it looks like a solid line. This detail is very difficult to replicate, especially if you are using a printer or copier, as it is very small and rich in detail.
Step 4. Review the serial number
There should be two serial numbers on the face of the note bearing the portrait and on the sides of the note. Check the dollar carefully and make sure the serial numbers match.
- Look at the color of the serial numbers and compare it to that of the Treasury Department seal. If they don't match, the ticket is probably fake.
- Counterfeit money may have serial numbers that are unevenly spaced or that may not line up perfectly.
- If you get hold of several suspicious banknotes, check if the serial numbers are all the same. Counterfeiters often don't bother to exchange them on every ticket. If they all have the same serial number, then they are counterfeit money.
Method 3 of 4: Examine the Safety Elements
Step 1. Hold the dollar against the light
In all bills except the $ 1 and $ 2 bills, there is a security thread (a small strip of plastic) that runs across the bill.
- The thread is woven inside the watermark (it is not printed) and runs vertically on the bright field to the left of the Federal Reserve seal. On genuine dollars it is easily visible against the light.
- You should read "USA" followed by the denomination of the bill, which is indicated in letters in the $ 10 and $ 20 and in numbers on the $ 5, $ 50 and $ 100 tickets. These security threads are located in different places according to the denomination, to prevent low-value bills from being lightened and reprinted with a higher value.
- You should be able to read the writing on both sides of the bill. Also, the safety thread should only be visible against the light.
Step 2. Use ultraviolet light to see security threads
The plastic strip of the higher denomination banknotes should stand out with a specific color.
- In the $ 5 it should be blue, in the $ 10 it should be orange, in the $ 20 it should be green, in the $ 50 it should be glowing yellow, and in the $ 100 it should be pink.
- If the note remains white under ultraviolet light, it is probably counterfeit.
Step 3. Check the watermark
Use natural light to see if the card has an image of the same character that is featured in the portrait.
- Hold the dollar against the light to check for the watermark. You should see an image identical to the portrait on all $ 10, $ 20, $ 50, and $ 100 cards printed after 1996 and $ 5 cards printed after 1999.
- The watermark is an integral part of the card and is visible to the right of the portrait. You should be able to spot it on both sides of the note.
Step 4. Tilt the card to check that the ink is iridescent
It is iridescent if it changes color when the banknote is moved.
- The iridescent ink is found on $ 100, $ 50, and $ 20 bills produced from 1996 onwards and on $ 10 bills printed after 1999.
- $ 5 and lower denomination bills do not have this feature. Originally the ink took on green and black shades, while now in more recent cards it changes from copper to green.
Step 5. Evaluate the micro-prints
These are small words or numbers that are imperceptible to the naked eye and cannot be read without a magnifying glass.
- Beginning in 1990, these micro-prints have been added at certain points of the notes (and periodically changed in position) for all denominations of $ 5 and above.
- Don't worry about the exact location of the micro-prints. Since these are difficult details to replicate, counterfeit banknotes usually lack them.
- The micro-prints that can sometimes be found on counterfeit money often have blurry letters or numbers. On a real dollar they are well defined and clear-cut.
Method 4 of 4: Handle the Fake Money the Right Way
Step 1. Do not produce counterfeit banknotes
It is illegal to own, produce or use counterfeit money. If you live in the United States and a prosecutor (the prosecutor) can prove that you acted intentionally, federal law can punish you with a hefty fine and up to 20 years in prison.
- If you have come into possession of fake tickets, do not give them to anyone else and follow these instructions. Check them if you have any suspicions. Try to remember who gave them to you.
- If you have a counterfeit banknote, you must contact the competent authorities, i.e. the Secret Services. By not reporting the presence of counterfeit banknotes in circulation, you are subject to counterfeiting reports.
Step 2. Remember who gave you the fake ticket
If you have a chance, try to stall with the person who gave you the fake money to remember as much as you can about that person's physical appearance. Be careful if there are any accomplices or companions. If you can, make a note of the license plate number as well.
- It is likely that the one who gives you counterfeit money is not the forger who produced it. He too could be an innocent citizen who, being misled, continues to use fake money.
- It may be impossible to trace who gave you a particular ticket, so many people check bills as they are received. For example, many store cashiers look at those with higher denominations before accepting them as a form of payment. This way, they can quickly trace the person who gave the fake ticket.
Step 3. Contact the authorities
Contact the local police department or the local "United States Secret Service" office. You can find the numbers on the first page of the US telephone directory or via an Internet search.
Step 4. Avoid excessive manipulation of the counterfeit banknote
Carefully place it in a protective liner, such as a plastic bag, so that authorities can gather as much information as possible: fingerprints, elements and chemicals, how it was printed, and so on. This way you won't forget which banknote was counterfeited either, preventing other people from being misled.
Step 5. Write down some information
Write your initials and date along the white edges of the suspect card or on the envelope that contains it. The date indicates the day on which the counterfeiting was detected, while the initials identify who noticed the counterfeit banknote.
Step 6. Fill out the Counterfeit Secret Service form
When you come into possession of a counterfeit banknote, you must complete the "Department of Homeland Security's Counterfeit Note Report" (the form for reporting counterfeit currency provided by the United States Department of Homeland Security). Download it here. The URL is
- Once a banknote accompanied by the aforementioned form has been delivered, it is deemed to be counterfeit until proven otherwise.
- Fill out a form for each suspicious banknote.
- This form is intended for banks that detect the presence of counterfeit money, but individuals should also use it. If you work at a bank and have found a counterfeit banknote, contact your manager and fill out the form.
Step 7. Give the banknote to the authorities
Give money only to an appropriately identified police officer or US intelligence special agent. If you are questioned, pass on as much information as possible about who gave it to you, any accomplices or any other details you remember about when you received it.
You will not be refunded for delivering the fake money. This measure is to prevent people from receiving money for free, in exchange for counterfeit money
Advice
- Another type of counterfeiting is the "raised bill", in which a low-denomination ticket is cleared and reprinted with a higher value. You can easily identify this counterfeit money by verifying the presence or absence of the wire and the security marks, visible against the light. If you still have doubts, compare the note with another of the same value.
- The Secret Service and the US Treasury recommend that you do not rely solely on the anti-counterfeiting pen. In fact, it is a tool that only indicates if the banknote is printed on the wrong type of paper (they react to the presence of starch). As such, it only discovers certain types of counterfeit banknotes, but does not identify the more sophisticated ones and trades fake money for real, as well as the fact that it can give false negatives on genuine banknotes that have been washed by mistake.
- The portrait on an original banknote looks almost real and stands out against the background. Counterfeit is usually flat and lifeless. The details blend in with the underlying design which is normally too dark or streaked.
- As stated above, the $ 1 and $ 2 bills carry fewer security features than the others. This is not a huge problem, as such banknotes are rarely counterfeited.
- A common mistake is to think that the banknote is fake if the ink smears when you touch it. This is not necessarily the case, but an ink that does not smudge is also no guarantee of authenticity.
- The ink used in the US currency is magnetic, but it is not a way to detect counterfeit banknotes. Force is extremely low and only useful with automatic counters. If you have a small but strong magnet, such as a neodymium magnet, you can lift an original bill. Even if you can't, though, you'll know if it's magnetic or not.
- The lines defined along the edge of an original banknote are distinct and continuous. On counterfeit ones they can be indistinct or blurry.
- Look for differences and not similarities. Counterfeit banknotes, if well made, are similar to real ones in many respects, while if they differ in one element, they are probably fake.
- In 2008, the $ 5 bill was redesigned by replacing the portrait in the watermark with the number "5" and moving the security thread from the left of the portrait to the right of the portrait.
- The new $ 100 bills feature the words "the United States of America" micro-printed on the cuff of Benjamin Franklin's jacket. It is impossible to reproduce them except from the United States Mint that minted them.
- As of 2004, the $ 10, $ 20, and $ 50 bills have been redesigned with many changes in the overall appearance, such as an increase in colors (see photo of the $ 50 bill). Probably the most important addition, made for safety reasons, is the constellation of EURion, a set of various symbols (in this case numbers) that prevent many color copiers from reproducing.
- If you dip a fake card in water and run your finger across the surface, the ink spreads and the paper shatters. In this way it cannot be put back into circulation. A genuine banknote will not be corrupted if it comes into contact with water.
- Intaglio printing involves the use of a metal plate. During this process the ink is deposited in the points that fall, while the smooth surface of the plate remains clean. The plate, in contact with the damp paper, is passed through a pressure roller so that the recessed areas of the paper money retain the ink. Intaglio printing is used on a large scale almost exclusively to produce banknotes.
Warnings
- If you still have any doubts, contact a lawyer.
- Owning, producing, using and trying to put fake money into circulation are all federal offenses. If a prosecutor can prove that you acted intentionally, you risk a fine and a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment. Consult a lawyer to challenge evidence of your guilt.
- Some states in the United States have laws against counterfeiting banknotes. If you have put fake money into circulation, you may be accused of forgery, fraud or scam.
