Counterfeit Money: How Can You Tell the Difference?

The holiday season usually brings out unscrupulous characters that prey on unsuspecting victims, either online or during sale days at department stores. Counterfeit bills find their way to consumers’ pockets more frequently than not during this time of year. How can you spot the difference between a counterfeit bill and a regular bill?

Here are some ways you can tell:

* Look at the portrait on the bill. Are the lines in the face blurry? Is the portrait too dark or too light? Are the lines in the hair, face, and clothing indistinguishable?

* Does the paper feel crisp? Do you notice blue and red lines throughout the bill?

* Look at the seal on the bill. Are the saw tooth points broken or not even? The seal may be blurry as well.

* Check the serial number on the bill. Are the numbers indistinguishable? Are they very dark or very light? Is the spacing between the numbers a bit off?

* Now look at the border of the bill. Are the lines on the bill blurry or broken?

* You should be able to see a watermark on denominations of $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills if you hold it up to the light.

It should also be noted that one dollar bills have the least amount of security features since most counterfeiters do not find it beneficial to make copies of this bill.

According to wikiHow, “Raised bills are a very simple type of counterfeit in which numerals are glued onto a low denomination bill to make it look like it’s a higher denomination. You can easily spot these fakes by comparing the numbers in the corners to the denomination printed in letters at the bottom of the bill. If you’re still not sure, compare the bill to another bill of the same denomination.”

If you have been told that the bill you have purchased items with is counterfeit, don’t panic. Just pay for the purchase with another bill and take the fake bill to your bank where they can verify its authenticity.

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