The last person to pass a counterfeit is the person stuck with it. No one wants to be the last one holding an ersatz bill (sourdough). Neither banks or merchants receiving one are obligated to reimburse or compensate the party passing the bill. (U.S. Code Title 18, Section 471). Knowingly passing funny money is criminal. Meanwhile new bills such as the new $5.00 bill are on the streets now. You don't need to be a numismatist to keep yourself out out trouble.
How do you tell if the money in your pocket is real? The United States Secret Service has tips on detecting funny money. You can buy a special marker that when applied to real currency it leaves a yellow mark that fades. If it is a fraud, a dark or black ink stroke will remain on the bill. It appears the U S Reserve has a web site dedicated to keeping citizens updated on our currency. It's called the MoneyFactory.gov. Here you can read up or download materials on how to steer clear of phony bills.
There are in fact many security features built into modern bills. I've been to the Federal Reserve in Philadelphia and there you can learn more about it. Of course you can take an instructional course on identifying counterfeit money elsewhere.
Real currency has small metal particles in it. A trick you can do at home is using a household magnet and by folding an American Dollar bill in half then leaving some ballast on the lower half of the bent open bill, hold the magnet near the paper and it will attract the paper towards the magnet.
The $20.00 is the most counterfeited bill. The new $20.00 bill has a clear polyester (plastic) security thread running down left side of Jackson's portrait. Flip it over and it is still visible at the far right. The number 20 at the front right bottom is color shifting. It changes from copper to green as you change the viewing angle. The front and back side has a portrait watermark.
Similar to the $20.00 bill above, the $5.00 bill got a makeover this past March (March 13, 2008 was it's release date). Similar but not exactly like the $20.00 the security thread on the $5.00 bill is to the right of Lincoln's portrait. Micro printing abounds. It's watermarks are of the number 5.
The $5.00 bill has multiple color additions. From the staggerd fine print yellow 05's printed to the left of Lincoln's portrait to the purple number 5 for visually impaired which blends to gray at the edges. The large purple 5 glares at you on the back right bottom. Download a $5.00 bill video podcast for a visual instructional on the new $5.00 bill security features implemented March of 2008.
Whether it is a five, ten, twenty or fifty dollar bill, you can enjoy one security feature if for nor more than a good parlor trick... hold it up to an ultraviolet light. Under UV light security features will show themselves. You won't need special light to view the color shifting of optically variable ink.
How do you tell if the money in your pocket is real? The United States Secret Service has tips on detecting funny money. You can buy a special marker that when applied to real currency it leaves a yellow mark that fades. If it is a fraud, a dark or black ink stroke will remain on the bill. It appears the U S Reserve has a web site dedicated to keeping citizens updated on our currency. It's called the MoneyFactory.gov. Here you can read up or download materials on how to steer clear of phony bills.
There are in fact many security features built into modern bills. I've been to the Federal Reserve in Philadelphia and there you can learn more about it. Of course you can take an instructional course on identifying counterfeit money elsewhere.
Real currency has small metal particles in it. A trick you can do at home is using a household magnet and by folding an American Dollar bill in half then leaving some ballast on the lower half of the bent open bill, hold the magnet near the paper and it will attract the paper towards the magnet.
The $20.00 is the most counterfeited bill. The new $20.00 bill has a clear polyester (plastic) security thread running down left side of Jackson's portrait. Flip it over and it is still visible at the far right. The number 20 at the front right bottom is color shifting. It changes from copper to green as you change the viewing angle. The front and back side has a portrait watermark.
Similar to the $20.00 bill above, the $5.00 bill got a makeover this past March (March 13, 2008 was it's release date). Similar but not exactly like the $20.00 the security thread on the $5.00 bill is to the right of Lincoln's portrait. Micro printing abounds. It's watermarks are of the number 5.
The $5.00 bill has multiple color additions. From the staggerd fine print yellow 05's printed to the left of Lincoln's portrait to the purple number 5 for visually impaired which blends to gray at the edges. The large purple 5 glares at you on the back right bottom. Download a $5.00 bill video podcast for a visual instructional on the new $5.00 bill security features implemented March of 2008.
Whether it is a five, ten, twenty or fifty dollar bill, you can enjoy one security feature if for nor more than a good parlor trick... hold it up to an ultraviolet light. Under UV light security features will show themselves. You won't need special light to view the color shifting of optically variable ink.
