If you have a counterfeit bill in your possession or if you suspect you have such a bill, there are certain criteria you should follow. Since this is a serious matter, the information provided herein is provided by the United States Department of the Treasury.

If you suspect a counterfeit note or have information about counterfeiting activity, please report it immediately to the U.S. Secret Service or to your local police.

For your personal safety, they also advise you to follow these measures:

1. Do not put yourself in danger.
2. Do not return the bill to the passer.
3. Delay the passer with some excuse, if possible.
4. Observe the passer’s description – and their companions’ descriptions – and write down their vehicle license plate numbers if you can.
5. Contact your local police department OR call your local U.S. Secret Service Office.
6. Write your initials and date in the white border area of the suspected counterfeit note.
7. Do not handle the counterfeit note. Place it inside a protective cover, a plastic bag, or envelope to protect it until you place it in the hands of an identified Secret Service Agent.
8. Surrender the note or coin only to a properly identified police officer or a Secret Service Special Agent, or mail it to your nearest U.S. Secret Service field office.

It should also be noted that if you have a counterfeit bill, you will not receive compensation for it.

To reiterate how you can detect if any of the bills in your possession are fake, here are the facts as posted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury:

* If you hold the new series bill (except the $5 note) and tilt it back and forth, please observe the numeral in the lower right hand corner as its color shifts from green to black and back.

* Hold the bill up to a light to view the watermark in an unprinted space to the right of the portrait. The watermark can be seen from both sides of the bill since it is not printed on the bill but is imbedded in the paper.

* Hold the bill up to a light to view the security thread. You will see a thin imbedded strip running from top to bottom on the face of a banknote. In the $10 and $50 the security strip is located to the right of the portrait, and in the $5, $20, and $100, it is located just to the left of the portrait.

* If the bill is held up to an ultraviolet light, the $5 bill glows blue, the $10 bill glows orange, the $20 bill glows green, the $50 bill glows yellow, and the $100 bill glows red – if they are authentic.

* There is minute micro-printing on the security threads: the $5 bill has “USA FIVE” written on the thread, the $10 bill has “USA TEN” written on the thread; the $20 bill has “USA TWENTY” written on the security thread; the $50 bill has “USA 50″ written on the thread; and the $100 bill has the words “USA 100″ written on the security thread. Micro-printing can be found around the portrait as well as on the security threads.

* Very fine lines have been added behind the portrait and on the reverse side scene to make it harder to reproduce.

* Compare the feel and texture of the paper with other bills which you know are authentic.

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Tags: Holiday, holiday debt