Don't accept a $100 bill without checking it VERY CLOSELY

[Katzenjammer]

"Since the c-21558 family's first detection in March 1999 the total counterfeit activity (passed and seized notes) has exceeded $23 million," according to the report. In 2005, the Secret Service detected $5.3 million from the Caucasus ring, up from $1.5 million in 2003, the report said.

That compares to the approximately $2.8 million in "supernotes" linked to North Korea that the agency says it confiscates, on average, each year. The production of supernotes, so called for their quality, has become a major diplomatic issue between the United States and the government of Kim Jong Il.

Georgian investigators said the fake bills from South Ossetia are made with special ink and paper and have watermarks, different serial numbers and other features that allow them to be easily passed off as real. "They are of very high quality," Konstantin Kemularia, secretary of Georgia's National Security Council, said in an interview.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/25/AR2006112500963.html?nav=hcmoduletmv

[nebenaube]

1. haven't had a c-note in years.... n/t

[Sherman A1]

3. Same here

[HCE SuiGeneris]

2. Accepting all C-notes

headed in my direction!!!
B-) :evilgrin: :bounce:

[rocktivity]

4. And that goes double for TWO hundred dollar bills!

Would you believe that someone actually succeeded in passing this? But seriously, folks, I thought the redesigned U.S. currency was supposed to be indestructible!


rocknation

[Vinca]

5. LOL - love the signs on the White House lawn. A nice touch. nt

[ToolTex]

9. Love the Oil Well Pump on the lawn. A nice decorative ornament.

n/t

[symbolman]

13. You just crack me up

every time :)

[Rufus T. Firefly]

6. Just mail them to me for verification.

I will dispose of any suspicious ones.

Really, though - who the hell walks around with C-notes? People who enjoy pissing off cashiers and other people in line, since they have to get change from a manager?

I had a few occasions when I was working at a pizza place about 15 years ago (my first job) and someone bought a regular drink ($1.07 I believe) and paid with a a $100 bill.

They don't come out of ATMs, so if you cash a check or make a withdrawal from the bank, get smaller bills, assholes.

Of course if you're making a big purchase it might make sense; I'm not referring to legitimate uses...but people who are going to wind up getting a lot of change ANYWAY might as well get the smaller bills in the first place.

[SoCalDem]

12. Personally I prefer hundreds over a bunch of 20's

I really think about it before I break a hundred :)

[LeighAnn]

7. How on earth would a person know which one was real?

If they're going to keep changing the design every few years, how on earth can a person know what to look for in a fake? Is the real one the one that looks silliest? Is it the two-headed Franklin or the one with the dancing 100s? I, personally, think it's a conspiracy to make it easier to conterfeit.

[Katzenjammer]

8. I was thinking the same thing.

What's interesting to me is how little we've heard about this. 23 million bucks? That's not chump change. Well, okay, in DC it is.

The great part is that if we get stuck with one of those bills, we take the loss.

[mzmolly]

10. Real money is made of a silky paper with tiny red and blue

fibers. The fibers can be picked out with a sharp object when in doubt.

http://creditfederal.com/counterfeit-money.html

http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml

Also, you can hold up newer money to a light:

Watermark: Hold the note up to the light to see if a faint image similar to the large portrait on the face of the note appears to the right of the portrait. It should be visible from both sides of the note. On the redesigned $10 note, it is easier than ever to locate the watermark -- a blank oval has been incorporated into the design to highlight the watermark's location.

Security thread: Hold the note up to the light and make sure there's a small strip that repeats either "USA TEN" or "USA TWENTY or "USA 50" in tiny print.

Cool flash demo on this > HERE

Just passing this along, I agree that changing the money makes it difficult to tell the difference.

[On the Road]

11. In Romania a Few Years Ago,

I was offered a US $100 bill for about $15 of Austrian money. I am certain it was counterfeit.

[symbolman]

14. So you turn it in to the FBI

and YOU are out a 100 bucks?

I think people are more afraid they'll lose the value than to just pass it on..

What ARE you supposed to do if you know it's counterfeit?

[Pab Sungenis]

15. DO NOT TRUST THE PENS!

The current practice among counterfeiters is to bleach $5.00 bills and print bogus $100's on top of them. That way they have a watermark and a strip in approximately the right place. And since they're printed on genuine currency paper, THE PASS THE PEN TEST.

THE PENS ARE WORTHLESS. EDUCATE YOURSELF AND YOUR STAFF, AND USE YOUR EYES.

[elocs]

16. That reminds me of the old joke of the city slicker who went into the hick country store

wanting change for an $18 bill. The old guy behind the counter said, "How do you want that? Two $9s or three $6s?"