Today US currency is made with many important security features, which allow the user to check the authenticity of a note. Watermarks, security threads, color-shifting ink, special paper, signatures, the US Seal, and unique numbering all help to determine the authenticity of a note. Despite all efforts to prevent counterfeiting, counterfeiters in the US and abroad produce currency and put it into circulation. Traditionally, counterfeits are made by offset printing.
Counterfeiters need to acquire heavy machinery in order to undertake offset printing; the right kind of ink is also needed as well as expert production of printing plates. Procuring the right paper is another challenge. Such counterfeiting requires serious financial investment to purchase equipment and supplies.
For the last decade, counterfeiting has moved increasingly towards using digital scanners, computers and inkjet printers, which are available with little expense or effort. At a quick glance such notes appear highly convincing and can pass without detection. However, inkjet printing, which mixes four base colors, is a fundamentally different process from the printing method by which genuine notes are produced, and such counterfeit notes can be detected when examined under a loupe.
Just as most US currency circulates abroad, so most counterfeit currency is also produced abroad. South America, parts of Southern and Eastern Europe and the Far East are regions with active counterfeiting rings, which the Secret Service works constantly to break up. Often counterfeit notes are detected when they enter the country via the US mail or other carriers. Large amounts of counterfeits are also smuggled into the country by visitors. Often hidden in the mountains, the production facilities are hard to detect.
They are confident and legitimate-looking, so business owners readily accept the phony bills without becoming suspicious. If they believe they are being given counterfeit money they should call the police. Small business owners need to be aware of the many ways to detect counterfeit money.
The secret service and U. Treasury also offer these suggestions:. Hold a bill up to a light and look for a hologram showing an image that matches the face of the individual on the bill.
Both images should match. If you believe you have received counterfeit money, the U. Treasury advises you to do the following:. Remember, if you are passed a counterfeit bill, you own it.
So when accepting cash, it pays to be knowledgeable about the crime of counterfeiting. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime aol. All Rights Reserved. Take a close look, especially at the borders, to see if there are any blurred parts in the bill. Authentic banknotes also have microprinting, or finely printed text located in various places on the bill. If the microprinting is unreadable, even under a magnifying glass, it is probably counterfeit. Raised Printing All authentic banknotes have raised printing, which is difficult for counterfeiters to reproduce.
To detect raised printing, run your fingernail carefully down the note. You should feel some vibration on your nail from the ridges of the raised printing. Security Thread with Microprinting The security thread is a thin imbedded strip running from top to bottom on the face of a banknote. Authentic bills have microprinting in the security thread as another layer of security.
Ultraviolet Glow Counterfeit detection tools and technology use ultraviolet light because this is a clear-cut way of telling if a bill is counterfeit. Red and Blue Threads If you take a close look at an authentic banknote, you can see that there are very small red and blue threads woven into the fabric of the bill. Although counterfeit printers try to replicate this effect by printing a pattern of red and blue threads onto counterfeit bills, if you can see that this printing is merely surface level, then it is likely the bill is counterfeit.
Serial Numbers The last thing to check on a bill is the serial number. These security measures were designed not just to deter criminals from attempting to counterfeit money but to help people and businesses recognize counterfeit money when they see it.
If you see even one error that could mean a bill is counterfeit, you should report it to the U.
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