Secret Service determined the bills were fake. The Minneapolis Field Office investigates counterfeit money. The special agent in charge says they catch more than a million dollars in counterfeit bills in Minnesota each year. SAC Joe Scargill explains where it comes from, and how you can spot it. Money passes hands every day at stores and for services. Scargill says counterfeit money does too. Scargill says his office spends more than half its time investigating counterfeit currency.
And he says criminals have found more sophisticated ways to fake it. When police arrested the guy, a printer was in his car, along with a bleached dollar bill, and another ready to print. The man pleaded guilty to manufacturing counterfeit money, a federal felony, and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Counterfeiters like him can be hard to stop because the bills are often found later. Counterfeits are also passed during person-to-person exchanges for goods bought online. A tip: Make the cash transaction at a bank where someone can authenticate the bills. The Secret Service also offers online resources on where to report counterfeit money, and how to spot it.
T he Joker torching a mountain of cash in The Dark Knight. Walter White toting around his gallon-drum nest eggs on Breaking Bad. Each scene was shot with prop money—phony bills that look real on-screen, but up close have certain glaringly obvious tweaks. This kind of nonlegal tender is regulated by federal law and, until recently, was controlled by Hollywood prop houses and closely monitored by the Secret Service. But in the past few years, thanks to new technology, the cost of making fake money has plummeted.
According to police officials I spoke with, cheap counterfeit bills began proliferating on Amazon and eBay around Below is a list of the microprinted phrases on authentic banknotes:. Watermark: Hold the bill up to a light to view the watermark in an unprinted space to the right of side of the bill.
If the watermark is a face, it should exactly match the face on the bill. The watermark can be seen from both sides of the bill, since it is not printed on the bill but is imbedded in the paper.
Blurry borders, printing, or text: These are automatic red flags for counterfeit bills. Authentic bills are made using die-cut printing plates that create impressively fine lines, so they look extremely detailed. Counterfeit printers are usually incapable of the same level of detail.
All authentic dollar bills 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. Fine line printing patterns: Very fine lines have been added behind the portrait and on the reverse side scene to make it harder to reproduce.
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.
Comparison: Compare the feel and texture of the paper with other bills you know are authentic. Serial Numbers: The last thing to check on a bill is the serial number.
Below is the list of letter-to-year correspondence:. 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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