by Officer John Thomas
As a business owner one of your concerns is counterfeit bills. Convincing counterfeits are found despite tough enforcement. A July, 2006 article in The New York Times indicated that North Korea may have made counterfeit U.S. bills so well that it required forensic examination to confirm they were fakes. The article said “The engraved images were, if anything, finer than those produced by the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing”. Such high quality counterfeits are known as “supernotes”. There are smaller operators out there producing poor but convincing, counterfeits.
High quality counterfeits rarely make it into circulation in the United States. The U.S. Secret Service detects counterfeit bills and removes them from circulation. Many loads of counterfeits have been found in shipments from overseas with legitimate merchandise.
Counterfeiting is a threat to our economy and even our national security. Proceeds from counterfeit merchandise and currency sometimes support terrorism. Small business owners suffer a loss when given counterfeit money. They lose the value of the money and merchandise. You can’t detect every fake bill out there, but with the security features of modern bills, you can detect most of them.
One security measure is the paper. It is not really “paper” but a mix of cotton and linen fibers woven together and pressed into crisp sheets. The paper also contains visible red and blue fibers. The paper is especially durable. Next, the ink has color shifting denomination numbers in the bottom right corner that turn from green to gold at different angles. On newer notes the color shifts from copper to gold. The ink has a texture that can be felt.
The pictures on currency should be very clear and distinct. The portrait should appear to have some depth and not have a flat appearance. The treasury seal should have a sharp saw tooth pattern around the edge. The fine lines on the border of the bill should be distinct and unbroken.
The serial number should be the same color as the treasury seal. The numbers should be uniform size and properly aligned. If you have multiple bills, make sure the serial numbers are different. Also ensure both serial numbers on the same bill match. The numbers on the corners of the bill should match the number on the bottom center of the bill. If they don’t, the bill is a “raised” bill. Counterfeiters will alter a small bill to look like a larger bill.
Use a bright light to look for a watermark. The watermark should match the portrait. The newest five dollar bill has a watermark showing a “5”. One and two dollar bills have no watermark. There should also be a plastic strip woven into the bill to the left of the portrait. It should show “USA” and the denomination.
When held up to a black light the security strip should glow. 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. Newer bills also have microprinting which can be seen using a magnifying glass. The ink in modern bills is magnetic. This assists automated bill checkers to determine if the bill is good. A magnet should slightly lift the bill but not pick it up. One security tool is a pen that reacts to regular paper. This will not detect raised bills.
It may be tempting to run out and buy every counterfeit detecting gadget available but that may not be necessary. Knowing what to look for and being vigilant will go a long way toward protecting your business. Many businesses will not take bills larger than $20, this approach may not be right for all businesses. Make sure your employees are trained in recognizing counterfeit bills. Please report all counterfeit bills to your local police department. Counterfeiting is a federal crime and is investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.
Community Service Officer John Thomas is a long time resident of Temecula and is a Crime Prevention Officer with the Temecula Police Department Crime Prevention Unit. He can be reached at (951) 506-5132.