If you have US dollar bills but doubt their authenticity, follow these steps to determine the true value of your money. Possessing, making or using counterfeit money is unlawful; if prosecutors can prove that you knowingly forged money, federal law in the US can carry a maximum fine and imprisonment of up to 20 years. If you get counterfeit money, you must return it to the authorities.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Judging Authenticity by Touch
Step 1. Feel the texture of your banknote
Counterfeit notes will usually feel different to real money to the touch.
- Real banknotes are made from linen and cotton fibers. This is what distinguishes the paper used to make money from ordinary paper produced from trees. Real banknotes are designed to be durable and stay dry and stiff for a long time, whereas plain paper will start to crumble and feel soft as it wears out.
- Paper used as money is not sold commercially. In addition, the composition of the paper and ink is also kept secret. So, even if you rarely find counterfeit money, you can easily feel the difference in texture.
- The ink on the surface of the original banknote stands out more because it is printed using the intaglio process. You should be able to feel the texture of the ink, especially when you hold the new dollar bill.
- Touch the portrait portion of your banknote using the tip of your fingernail. The part will feel rough and textured. Counterfeiters cannot copy this part.
Step 2. Pay attention to the thickness of your banknote
Real money is often thinner than counterfeit notes.
- In making money, paper is pressurized by hundreds of kilograms during the printing process. As a result, real banknotes will feel thinner and stiffer than regular paper.
- Rag paper (paper made from used cotton cloth) that can be purchased at office supply stores is the only choice for counterfeiters as raw material. However, counterfeit notes made with such paper will still appear thicker than real money.
Step 3. Compare your banknotes with other bills in the same denomination and series (print edition)
Banknotes with different denominations will look different, so you should compare your notes with other bills in the same denomination.
- If you are still suspicious of the quality of your banknotes, try holding the money and the money you are sure is authentic together. This can help you feel the difference between real money and counterfeit money.
- All dollar bills (except the $1 and $2 denominations) have been redesigned at least once since 1990. Therefore, it is better to compare notes you suspect are counterfeit with genuine notes with the same series or year of issue.
- Although the design of the money has changed a lot over time, its texture has not changed much. If authentic, the texture of a dollar bill printed 50 years ago will feel the same as a new dollar bill.
Method 2 of 4: Judging Authenticity by Seeing
Step 1. Check the quality of your note
Counterfeit notes tend to look flat and don't have much image detail. Because the process of printing real money is unknown and therefore difficult to imitate, counterfeiters are often forced to replace it with another process.
- Real dollar bills are printed using techniques that cannot be imitated by offset printing or digital printing techniques. These two techniques are the most commonly used by counterfeiters. Pay attention to whether there are parts of the note where the printout looks blurry or blurry, especially in areas that have fine details such as around the edges of the note.
- Look for colored fiber in your money. All real dollar bills have red and blue fibers embedded in the notes. Counterfeiters often try to make them by printing or drawing the colored fibers on paper. However, as a result, the blue and red fibers on the counterfeit notes appear to be made of printed ink, not the real fibers that are part of the banknotes.
Step 2. Notice the outline on your dollar bill
According to the United States secret service, the real money has a clear and unbroken border.
- On real dollar bills, the jagged corners of seals issued by the United States' central bank and treasury agencies should look sharp with clear detail. On counterfeit notes, the seal usually has jagged edges that appear uneven, blurry, or dotted.
- Notice if any of the ink appears to be smudged. Because real and counterfeit notes are made using different printing techniques, counterfeits sometimes have a border with faded ink.
Step 3. Observe the portrait on your bankroll
Look at the part of the portrait printed in the center of your dollar bill. There are some specific differences that can tell if the money is real or counterfeit.
- The portrait print on counterfeit bills often appears dull, blurry, and flat. While on the real money, the prints of the portrait parts look sharp and have very fine details.
- On real money, the portrait part stands out from the background color. Meanwhile on counterfeit notes, the color of the portrait looks too mixed with the basic color of the money.
- Use a magnifying glass to take a closer look at the portrait frame portion of your bill. At first glance this part of the frame looks like an ordinary thick line when viewed with the naked eye, but if you look closely you will see the words “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” repeating along the sides (frame) of the portrait. Due to its very small size and fine detail, this element is difficult to replicate using a regular copier or printer.
Step 4. Check your serial number
There are two serial numbers on both sides of the banknote. Look at your money carefully and make sure the two serial numbers listed on your bill are the same.
- Pay attention to the color of the serial number listed and compare it with the color of the money seal (treasury seal). If the color is different, it is likely that the money is counterfeit.
- Counterfeit notes may have serial numbers that are unequally spaced or are not aligned in a line.
- If you get several dollar bills that you suspect are counterfeit, pay attention to the serial numbers printed on each note you get. One of the omissions of counterfeiters is that they often don't change the serial number for every counterfeit note they print. If all the money you get has the same serial number, all the money is counterfeit money.
Method 3 of 4: Observing the Safeguards on Money
Step 1. Hold your money and point it at the light source
All dollar bills (except the $1 and $2 bills) have a security thread running from top to bottom.
- The thread is embedded in paper (not printed), running vertically across the blank to the left of the federal reserve seal. On real money, the security threads can be seen easily when you point the bill at the light source.
- The security thread reads “USA” followed by a note (the $10 and $20 bills are written in letters, and the $5, $50, and $100 bills are written in numbers). Each shard has a different laying of safety thread. This was intended to avoid criminal acts, such as fading the color of the notes with small denominations and then reprinting them with larger denominations.
- The writing on the security thread must be legible, both from the front and back of your bill. In addition, the thread must also be visible when the money is pointed at the light source.
Step 2. Use ultraviolet light to see the safety thread
The security thread on large notes will appear to glow in a certain color.
- The $5 bill has a security thread that glows blue; the $10 bill glows orange; the $20 bill glows green; the $50 bill glows yellow; and the $100 bill glows pink.
- If, when exposed to ultraviolet light, your banknotes remain white, it's probably counterfeit.
Step 3. Check the watermark on your money
Using natural light (sunlight), hold the money in the direction of the light to see if there is an image of the same person as the person in the portrait.
- Hold the money up to the light to see the watermark on the money. The watermark with the image of the person in the portrait banknote can be found on all $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills 1996 and up, and on $5 bills 1999 and up.
- The watermark is to the right of the portrait on your bill and can be seen from both sides of the bill.
Step 4. Hold and tilt your penny to see the ink color change
Money is printed using a special ink that will show a different color when the money is tilted.
- The color-changing ink is applied to the $100, $50, and $20 bills of the 1996 series and up, and to the $10 bills of the 1999 series and up.
- The $5 and smaller bills don't have this feature yet. The original color appears to have changed from green to black, but after a recent redesign it changed from a copper color to green.
Step 5. Check the microprint on your money
These microprints are words and numbers that are printed in a very small (micro) size that is very difficult to see with the naked eye. To see it you need to use a magnifying glass.
- Since 1990, microprints have been added at certain points on dollar bills with denominations of $5 and greater. The placement of microprints on money changes periodically.
- You don't need to compare where the microprints are on the dollar bill specifically. Microprints are very difficult to imitate, so usually counterfeit notes don't have a microprint.
- If the counterfeit notes have microprints, they usually appear blurry. On real money, these microprints will appear firm and clear.
Method 4 of 4: Handling Counterfeit Money Correctly
Step 1. Don't make fake money
Possessing, making, or using counterfeit money is illegal, if prosecutors can prove that you intentionally counterfeit money, US federal law can carry a fine or up to 20 years in prison.
- If you receive counterfeit money, do not give the money to anyone other than those listed in this guide. Check the banknotes you receive if suspicious. Remember who gave it to you.
- In the US, return counterfeit money to the secret service if you receive it. Not reporting counterfeit money you receive leaves you vulnerable to accusations by others that you have counterfeit money.
Step 2. Remember the person who gave the counterfeit money
If possible, don't let the person who gave you counterfeit money go away to remember their appearance as best they can. Remember the people who came with him. Write down the license plate number of the vehicle, if any.
- The person giving you counterfeit money may not be the maker. They may also be ordinary people who were tricked into accidentally using counterfeit money.
- You may not be able to remember exactly who gave a particular note, although many people check the banknotes they receive right away. For example, a cashier at a supermarket will usually check a large banknote before accepting it. That way, the cashier can remember who gave the specific counterfeit money.
Step 3. Contact the authorities
Find or call a police station near you, or if you are in the US contact a US secret service. You can find the telephone number for the police station on the front page of the telephone directory or on the internet.
Step 4. Avoid holding counterfeit money
Carefully place the money in a protected container such as an envelope or paper bag. In this way, the authorities were able to extract as much information as possible from the counterfeit notes: fingerprints, compounds and chemical constituents, printing methods, and so on. This is also to help you separate between counterfeit money and real money.
Step 5. Write down your personal data
Write your initials and the date on the edge of the suspected counterfeit note, or on an envelope or paper bag. This date indicates when the counterfeit money was recognized, and your initials are useful as a sign of someone who recognizes the counterfeit money.
Step 6. If you are in the US, fill out a fake money report from the secret service
When you submit counterfeit notes in the US, you must complete a Department of Homeland Security counterfeit report. You can get the report form here. The address is
- After the banknotes are returned in full, they are considered counterfeit money unless proven otherwise.
- Fill out one form to report each counterfeit banknote.
- This form is addressed to banks that get counterfeit money, but can also be used by individuals. If you find counterfeit money at the bank, and you are a bank employee, contact your manager and fill out the form regarding your business owner.
Step 7. Give the banknotes to the authorities
Give banknotes or coins only to the police or special secret service agents (in the US). When questioned by them, provide as much information as you can about who gave the money to you, the person who accompanied them, or any other information you remember when you received the counterfeit money.
Your loss due to counterfeit money you received will not be reimbursed. This policy was taken to prevent people from getting free money just by counterfeiting money
Tips
- The intaglio printing process is done with a metal plate. In this printing, the ink will seep into the concave part, and the smooth surface on the disc is removed. The disc, which is then affixed to the damp paper, is passed through a rotating press. The paper is forced into the hollow and absorbs the ink. Commercial intaglio printing was used almost entirely for printing money.
- Based on the explanation of the steps above, the $1 and $2 dollar bills have less security than the other denominations. This is rarely a problem because counterfeiters very rarely make counterfeit notes in such small denominations.
- There is a misconception that if the ink on money bleeds when you rub money on an object, then the money is counterfeit. You need to know that this is not always true. Ink that does not fade or fade is not necessarily a sign of the authenticity of the money.
- The ink used on US dollar bills is actually magnetic, but of course this is not necessarily a way to detect counterfeit notes. The strength of the magnet is very small and is only useful for counting money using an automatic money counting machine. If you have a small magnet of great strength, such as a neodymium magnet, you can try lifting real dollar bills with the magnet. You can't necessarily lift real dollar bills from the table using a magnet, but at least you know that the money is real and the ink is magnetic.
- The outer edge of the original dollar bill must be clear and unbroken. On counterfeit notes, the lines appear blurry, with indistinct details.
- Notice the differences, not the similarities. If printed well, counterfeit money must have some similarities to real money. However, if you find even one difference in your banknotes, then the money is probably counterfeit.
- Raised bills are now popping up a lot. You can immediately tell these bills apart by the location (or lack thereof) of the security thread and the type of watermark on the notes by holding them up to the light. If you're still not sure, compare the note you suspect is counterfeit with other notes in the same denomination.
- The secret services and the US Treasury do not recommend relying solely on counterfeit money detectors, such as the ones you often see used by cashiers in stores. The tool can only show whether the money is printed on the wrong paper, because the pen will react when it detects the presence of starch in the money. Counterfeit money detectors can indeed help detect counterfeit money, but cannot detect other, more sophisticated counterfeit elements and sometimes misjudge the real money as counterfeit, simply because the real money has been washed or submerged.
- On real money, the portrait in the center of the note stands out and stands out from the background color. While on counterfeit money, the existing portrait usually looks flat (mediocre). The details in the portrait also blend into the background color, so the portrait looks too dark or even striped.
- In 2008, the $5 bill was redesigned. In the new design, the portrait watermark is replaced by the number “5” and the security thread is moved, from the left side of the portrait to the right side of the portrait.
- On the design of the new $100 bill, you can see the words "the United States of America" printed in small (micro) size on the collar of Benjamin Franklin's coat. Printing of these writings is not possible except by the United States money printing agency.
- Starting from the 2004 series, the $10, $20, and $50 dollar bills have been redesigned and resulted in several changes to the note's overall appearance. The most notable change is the presence of more colors (see image of the $50 note). In addition, the most important thing is that in the new design there is a new element of security for money. The security element is the EURion Constellations, a different arrangement of symbols (numbers) for each banknote. It is this security element that prevents color copiers from making copies of real money.
- When you wet counterfeit bills with water and run your finger over them, the ink will smudge and the paper will break. This will also prevent counterfeit money from being distributed to other people. Real banknotes will not be damaged by water.
Warning
- If you are unsure about your situation, contact a lawyer.
- Possessing, making, using, and attempting to use counterfeit money is illegal. In the US, if prosecutors can prove you intentionally counterfeited money, you could face a fine or up to 20 years in prison. Consult a lawyer regarding direct or indirect evidence that shows that you intentionally counterfeit money.
- In the US, states also have laws regarding counterfeiting money. For spreading counterfeit money, you could be prosecuted for fraud, forgery, and theft.
