The American dollar has long been one of the most popular currencies in the world. Its turnover is huge, and you can exchange it in almost any country. At the same time, the US Treasury claims that the number of counterfeit notes is very small - 0.01% of the total mass. This is due to the fact that this currency has a reliable system of protection against counterfeiters, and the methods for its manufacture are very difficult to reproduce. Do you know how to check the dollar for authenticity? Study the article carefully and it will be almost impossible to trick you.
What denomination denominations are faked?
Most often, the object of interest to counterfeiters is a 100-dollar bill. And recently, lawbreakers have taken a real denomination of a smaller denomination as a basis for a fake, bleach it, and then print the famous portrait of Benjamin Franklin on it . So it turns out quite a realistic fake, if you do not know how to check the dollar for authenticity. Another similar way is to add zeros to the banknote.
Do counterfeit bills of a smaller denomination occur?
Yes, banknotes of 10, 20 and 5 dollars are faked and distributed among people without a fixed place of residence who do not know how to check the dollar for authenticity, or in low-income areas. The purchases made by the new owners of the fake are very small, and the sellers do not pay attention to the bills, so they can easily be sold. But in order to accept $ 50 or $ 100 without suspicion , the money carrier should look much more presentable.
The safest in this regard are 1 and 2 dollars. They are unattractive for scammers, so the system of protecting them from fake is much simpler than other denominations.
How to distinguish a real banknote from a fake?
Here are some ways you can check your dollars for authenticity so you don’t fall for the scammers:
- Banknotes of the new sample (with the exception of $ 5) have elements with color-changing inks. To see them, take a banknote and tilt it back and forth, while the figure in the lower right corner will turn green or black.
- One of the simplest known methods of checking a dollar for authenticity is to look at a watermark. It is visible on the lumen on both sides of the bill, because it is not printed on a particular side, but is included in the structure of the paper itself.
- The portrait on the banknote and its watermark should match. If the 100-dollar bill was tampered with, you will see an image of Abraham Lincoln, which is printed on 5 dollars, instead of Benjamin Franklin. It looks like this:
- Plastic protective tape. It is also visible in the light from the front of the banknote. At $ 10 and $ 50, the protective strip is located to the right of the portrait, and at $ 5, $ 20 and $ 100 it is to the left of it.
- This strip in a genuine bill reacts to ultraviolet light: for $ 5 it glows blue, for 10 - orange, for 20 - green, for 50 - yellow, for 100 - pink-red.
- Serial number. It is unique for each bill, it must be printed evenly and clearly, and twice - on both sides of the portrait.
- Micro printing. There are elements on real banknotes that can only be read on under a magnifying glass, for example, inscriptions around the portrait and the banknote denomination on the protective strip: 5 dollars - USA FIVE, 10 dollars - USA TEN, 20 - USA TWENTY.
Paper, ink, printing.
These are three more degrees of protection for each banknote, thanks to which it is very difficult to fake. Dollar paper is dense, but thin, rough, interspersed with blue and red stripes, which are not printed on top, namely included in its structure. It is made from textile fibers - cotton and linen, and not from ordinary cellulose, which gives the bill a characteristic texture.
How to check dollars for authenticity if you have a banknote in which you are sure and doubtful? Compare the tactile sensations from both, and if one of the notes is a fake, then the difference will be noticeable. This is a very simple but effective way.
The paint on the surface of this bill slightly protrudes above the paper, all lines are clear and bright. Very thin strokes are intentionally used on the portrait and fringe of the banknote; it is impossible to repeat such print quality without unique equipment.
How to verify the authenticity of 100 dollars of a new sample?
Since this banknote is most attractive to fraudsters, since October 2013 the US government issued a series of notes that are extremely difficult to falsify. It is referred to as Series 2009. Its distinguishing features are:
- A wide protective 3D-tape of blue color to the right of the portrait. It is visible at an angle. Attention! It should not be confused with the usual thin ribbon, which on this bill is still located to the left of the portrait.
- A copper bell depicts a bell that changes color when moving from copper to green.
- To the right of the portrait are added phrases from the Declaration of Independence and the image of a pen with which a document so dear to the heart of every American was signed.
- On the back of the banknote, its denomination is depicted very large, so that it can be easily distinguished even to people with poor eyesight.
However, the appearance of new notes does not mean that the old ones have lost their value. The US government does not plan to seize them, they still remain suitable for making payments.
Where to check dollars for authenticity
If you still have doubts about the bills, they can only be dispelled by machine-based verification methods using special detectors.
Using infrared and magnetic radiation, they can “see” special signs and magnetized zones, which confirm that the banknote is real. If you want to verify the authenticity of dollars in the bank, then be prepared to pay either a small fee for checking each bill, or a percentage of the total. Moreover, not all financial institutions provide such a service.