Bad Credit Blues

Is CounterFeit Money a Big Problem?

Well, whenever money is tight, as in today’s struggling economy, there will be a lot more temptation to pass fake money. Also, some organizations that may be against the government may wish to to launder fake money for real money. But, all told, the amount of conterfeit money in the US money supply is fairly low. It is also much harder to duplicate money than it was a few years ago. Still, the problem is out there, and it is good to have some tips to detect fake money!

Hold the bill up to the light. Look for the watermark, security thread, and color changing ink! A security thread should run to the right of the president’s picture. The watermark should display, further to the right. Also the numbers should turn from copper color to green in the light. The color shifting ink is only on US dollar bills worth $10 or above.

Check the look and feel of the money. You know what money feels like, and you can often tell if money is bogus just be the feel of it. If the bill does not feel right, you should suspect it. Also, US money is printed with very good quality ink. If the bill looks fuzzy, you should also suspect it.

Older Bills - Now all of these security features were not in bills that were printed in past decades, or at least before 1996. And some experts advise you to suspect any bill that is that old, especially if it is a large denomination. Now, I can think that their may be some cases of people stashing a $100 they got for a present, and then finding it 15 years later - but maybe they should just deposit it in the bank, and use newer bills for purchases.

Get more information - US Secret Service Conterfeit Money Page

If you suspect fake currency, you may just tell the buyer you do not accept cash for large purchases. If it is a smaller purchase, you may risk it and take the bill to your bank to check it. Now, you cannot assume the buyer knows the bill is conterfeit, and he or she may have been duped into accepting it. In that case,  though, it would probably good to pass along some education to prevent trouble in the future.