USA20 (right of portrait), THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 20 USA 20 (border below Treasurer’s signature)įIFTY (left of portrait inside stars, borders), USA (left of portrait inside stars), 50 (left of portrait inside stars), THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (President Grant’s collar) THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (below portrait and inside borders), TEN DOLLARS USA (below portrait and inside borders), USA 10 (beneath torch) DenominationįIVE DOLLARS (left and right borders), E PLURIBUS UNUM (inside the Great Seal), USA (inside Great Seal), USA FIVE (on edge of purple five), State names (on Lincoln Memorial) If you see small, blurry text, it is counterfeit.
On bills $5 and higher, you can see small text scattered around the bill. If the bill is torn so much that it is missing part of one set of security numbers, do not accept it as payment.
Make sure both sets of serial numbers match. The serial numbers appear twice on the bill’s front-one set of serial numbers is on the left of the portrait, and the other is on the right. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander HamiltonĪll United States bills have a combination of 11 numbers and letters. Signing of the Declaration of Independence Take a look at this table to learn about each bill’s portrait and vignette: Denomination Make sure the portrait and vignette are correct before you accept the bill. The portrait is found on the front of the United States bill.
The material should not feel like standard paper. And, there are red and blue security fibers woven into the bill.Ĭheck to see that the red and blue security fibers are woven into the bill instead of being added on top. The bill is one-fourth linen and three-fourths cotton. United States currency is not just regular paper. Run your finger and nail along the bill to make sure it is textured. United States currency is textured instead of smooth. If you run your finger along a legal bill, you’ll notice that the printing is raised. All bills from 1969 on after have the same treasury seal. The treasury seal is green and found to the right of the portrait. The letter and Federal Reserve Bank number are to the upper left of the seal. It has the letter and Federal Reserve Bank name that issued the currency.įor $5 bills and up, there is a Federal Reserve System seal, which is the image of an eagle. This is black and is on the left of the portrait. The Federal Reserve seal varies between the $1/$2 bills and the rest of the currency.įor the $1 and $2 bills, there is a Federal Reserve Bank seal. Once you know what they are, you can look for some of these features when you collect payments. Most of the fake security features are superficial.Ĭheck out these security features on legal U.S. So, what does counterfeit money look like? Counterfeiters might add similar looking security features on fake money to make identifying counterfeit bills difficult, but there are definitely differences. The five higher bills have additional security features. But, the $1 and $2 bills have not changed since they were issued in 19. First, these are the seven denominations in circulation: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100.Īll bills have a few of the same security features. There are a few different ways you can tell fake bills apart from real ones. Many counterfeiters are able to make fake money look realistic, making it difficult for businesses to spot the phonies.
How to tell if money is fakeĬounterfeit money is illegal currency created by scammers, not the government. Is managing your own accounting stressing you out, but you don’t want to hire a bookkeeper? Try Patriot Software’s online accounting for small business to save both time and money. When you know how to tell if money is real, you can make sure your business doesn’t lose hundreds of dollars from counterfeit cash. Once you receive counterfeit bills, they are valueless, which results in unnecessary profit losses. Learn how to tell if money is fake before you accept counterfeit bills. There are millions of dollars in counterfeit bills in circulation. As a small business owner who accepts cash payments, you need to protect your business from counterfeit money.