Detecting Counterfeit Money

Police and security personnel often have to mediate disputes between customers and businesses at points of sale. The most common of which is over whether or not currency is genuine. This video is intended not to be an all-inclusive look at counterfeit money, but as “The least you should know” type training. The intention is to give a person with no or minimal understanding of the issue enough knowledge and understanding to solve most disputes on the topic.
In this video I cover Security features common in all United States currency (like microstamping) and the new features of more modern American paper money.
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[@jfinfo12]

thank you so much. I have recently been yelled at for missing a counterfeit 100 but everytime I think a bill is conterfiet it's apparently "real", so now I know what to look for

[@freefieldtraining]

+Jacob Ferreira You are welcome! Make sure to look into it further, there is way more to find out; watermarks and such.

[@2GuysTalkingPodcastNetwork]

Have been watching the videos of Frank Abagnale (the criminal featured inside the movie, "Catch Me If You Can" who has been pushing digital check and counterfeit technology studies and prevention in the FBI now more than 4 decades. The "Supercheck" videos are amazing, as are all of this "FedTalks". Just amazing showcase of what confidence, reading people, and "no fear" because he was too young showcase and how he's helping to make sure no one else does it.

[@etraise2]

The raised/textured ink, or Intaglio printing, is the most important and most difficult to replicate feature, and is found even in the oldest bills.

[@etraise2]

+EatingLife Old currency does pop up from time to time. It happened to me at a supermarket. It was a $50 bill from the 1950s, and I could it was real not only because of the red/blue fibers, but the raised ink. I still have it! I also got in my change a $1 silver certificate from 1956.

[@freefieldtraining]

+EatingLife yeah, it happens just not very often. In this case the printing is crisp but, not raised at all and the fibers are printed on, poorly. It was a good go at a counterfeit but they used the wrong paper too.

[@CHITOWN8072]

There is a vertical strip toward the left of every bill that is on a different position in every denomination and a different color in every denomination that is visible only under UV light. $5 blue $10 orange $20 green $50 yellow $100 pink

[@abigailr3250]

got my first cashier job and am working a lot with money, so i really appreciate this video!

[@billyhoward9643]

a tip : watch movies at flixzone. I've been using them for watching loads of movies recently.

[@taylorharlem4932]

@Billy Howard Yea, I've been using flixzone for since november myself =)

[@tristanahmad8931]

@Billy Howard Yup, I have been using flixzone for since november myself =)

[@katiemcdonald547]

I’m literally a 16 year old with her first real job trying to figure out if I accepted a counterfeit 50 today. We have lights to check and we don’t have the markers and I sat there and studied the bill in front of the guy and even called someone else over to figure out if it was real but she couldn’t tell either. She told me to accept it so I guess I’ll find out tomorrow if my job is on the line😅

[@tannerspeers1400]

Great video, not much people know about these security features! I am sure you know this, but for future viewers you can also rub your finger or nail along the president's shirt and it has a rigidity feeling.

[@freefieldtraining]

Never heard that. Still trying to find a series 1990 to do a part 2. Maybee I'll add that in.

[@marlatranspinay9370]

Nobody ever mentions this and it the FIRST thing, almost every exchange does in SE Asia.

[@rolandolucki3010]

where to buy top qulity counterfeit notes( super notes ) purchase with discount , discreet and fast delivery for more details , email [e-mail] . EUR - Euro USD - US Dollar DNR - DINAR GBP - British Pound INR - Indian Rupee AUD - Australian Dollar CAD - Canadian Dollar AED - Emirati Dirham ZAR - Rand CHF - Swiss Franc CNY - Chinese Yuan Renminbi MYR - Malaysian Ringgit THB - Thai Baht NZD - New Zealand Dollar SAR - Saudi Arabian Riyal QAR - Qatari Riyal

[@Movieshorts8-t3k]

//if you looking for a legit supplier of the best quality counterfeit USD,CAD,EUR,GBP AND YEN , contact [e-mail] or whatsapp [phone] for more details . high undetectable bills .prop money also available.

[@IAMHAPPY5290]

"what i need you to do is pause the video and grab a real 20 dollar bill" bold of you to assume i even have 20 dollars jokes aside, nice video. i've been wondering how to tell counterfeits for a while now and only just now got around to actually looking it up

[@jimmyjack7030]

The business in Phoenix use an electronic scanner now. The clerk at the city water dept. or the Quick Trip gas station just passes the bill through the scanner and the scanner identifies the bill as real or fake no more relying on humans to identify counterfeit bills. I met one man here in Phoenix who had a printing press in his garage and was printing high quality fake one dollar bills for years until his house caught fire and the fire dept found the printing press and called police.

[@freefieldtraining]

+Bud Tugly lol, yeah, nobody even looks at one's.

[@RaivenMonota]

you can also rub the bill on a napkin, us bills don't really dry, they tend to leave a green ink residue on the napkin, but fakes are dried really well. I've personally confiscated a twenty that someone used glitter to fake the color change ink on the bottom right. Even the responding officer thought it was a seriously lazy attempt.

[@freefieldtraining]

+RaivenMonota I've never heard that. Now I want to go rub a real 20 with a napkin!

[@RaivenMonota]

free field training I didn't believe it either, but I tried it and it seemed to work. I admit, it could have just been a really dirty bill, cause they are, but the one I used looked clean. It's also why fresh crisp bills from the bank turn your finger tips dark green/black when you try to separate them.... which is basically impossible

[@georgiohenderson5998]

I'd believe this video but you can tell it's counterfeit. Real free field training videos have a worn out coffee mug in one of the corners

[@Mateiafire]

BWAHAHA!

[@DivineMagickOccult]

Not for me. The most common counterfeit I’ve been getting is coming off the 2006 $100 bill series.

[@brandonmckittrick2822]

I'm a cashier at my local grocery store and have so far not spotted a counterfeit bill. I've been trained on how to spot fake bills and how to handle the situation if I do. I cant legally prosecute the customer if they hand me the fake bill or hold them there I can only tell them to pay with a different payment method.

[@Archangelm127]

Also, the security threads are in different locations on the note for different denominations.

[@williamsmith8333]

just yesterday I was at a club and got two beers for myself and a friend. paid and got my change but a $1.00 bill was almost white in the black lights. Felt like regular paper and asked for a replacement! No way I want to take the chance of being caught with fake money! Manager was informed so I was on my way! Only a dollar but still..!

[@efox2001]

Work at a bank for a few years and, with the exception of the washed bills, you'll know by touch. Also, crisp bills don't smell the same as used money. Uncirculated bills smell like clay or playdough. Old money smells like leather from all the wallets it's sat in.

[@jetski1562]

Yea some people try to replicate old dollar bills because they had very little security on it so it’s easy to pass it through

[@brandiheller3645]

Watching this video I actually pulled out a 1997 $50 and was like how can I tell then you pulled one. Mine is real, it came directly from the bank and has all the 50's marking but I know no place around me would ever take it. I'm either gonna put it away or take it back to the bank and exchange it. I also worked at a casino for a while and they taught us how to identify the fake money and even gave us a light board to put them on to double check them. If we had any questions with a bill they said to call security immediately.

[@polecatfan1627]

2019 anyone? No just me? Ok.

[@jetski1562]

Polecat Fan 2020

[@senchousalt]

Nigga your talking to yourself in your own comment what the fuck

[@Gthangskitchen04]

Yes only you

[@LogicalLube]

Just for shits and giggles I tried scanning a $10 bill at work, and I was thinking it was going to refuse to scan period because most scanners recognize currency. I was surprise when it actually started scanning it, but it cancelled the scan automatically after about the first half inch of bill was printed.

[@JoeDurobot]

*Printing a fake 50 into a bleached 1 is something you can really only do in the US.* *If you look at the Euro bank notes for example you can't use that technique since all bills have different sizes.* *The larger the amount the larger the bill.* *So criminals can't make fake Euro notes as easy.*

[@docrussojr]

There's a little face on the back of the bill, if you hold it up to the light.

[@anthonygutierrez9748]

TO; free field trainer; In that small line that you were describing in this video, in that small 'very tightly' line I've discovered what it says ' The united states of America 20 USA 20 USA'. That's if you wanted to know or any-one on this channel. Thanks for reading my letter - Anthony.

[@freefieldtraining]

+Anthony gutierrez thanks for commenting!

[@anthonygutierrez9748]

No problem, have a nice day - Anthony.

[@Archangelm127]

Wonderful information, and all very well explained, but there are a number of others. I'm surprised you didn't mention the watermark when talking about the security thread, though. ^_^

[@freefieldtraining]

In my defense, this was one of the very first videos I ever did and I didn't have a script. It was just off the top of my head. I should probably make a new one.

[@Archangelm127]

I'm a professional trainer (IT stuff), and I have to say--if you did this well unpracticed and off-the-cuff, you're a natural. :) As I said, I work in IT, but lots of my friends are cops and military so I find your content absolutely fascinating. Thank you very much for making these videos!

[@freefieldtraining]

Hey, thanks man, I appreciate that. I'll admit most of it was heavily (and poorly) edited. Lol

[@fartonaut2291]

Mine doesn't have any of these! And it's made out of plastic!

[@freefieldtraining]

mine too

[@hickman7909]

give it time there find away to counterfeit those too

[@PropMoneyStacks]

Why don't they make the bills a different size that would prevent counterfeiting?

[@tannerspeers1400]

Could you do a video on how officers want you to Handel a traffic stop while carrying a CCW. concealed carry weapons permit. With allot of civilians getting there ccw due to shootings, and all this would be a perfect time.

[@tannerspeers1400]

also, how an officer should handle that type traffic stop. I know people have there personal ways but for rookies who are new.

[@freefieldtraining]

Thank you for the suggestion, I've kicked around the idea in the past and it has been suggested to me before. Buuut... There are boatloads of folks in the firearms industry telling anyone who will listen to keep your hands in view, notify politely, and provided ccw ID when carrying legally and contacted by the cops. I really can't think of anything else to add to the dialogue. Plus, my focus is on public safety training. Everyone is welcome here. But, I'm not tailoring my content to the masses just to get views. I'd rather have 300 subscribers who are here to learn about police/security work than 300,000 because a video about ccw went viral. Maybee someday I will have a glorious thought on the topic that I will want to make a video about, but as of now....

[@tannerspeers1400]

+free field training Well sir, you defiantly have showed your interest in helping views than receiving money through there views. I wouldn't mind having you as an FTO, However, I will be a Brother in Blue from California. You defiantly remind me of my long time ago Police Explorer Advisor when I was in the program. He also, showed a lot of excitement and interest in the job. You explained a very valid point on reasons of not making a video , which I do appreciate it. How about maybe "Report Writing" I understand Security has report writing as well as the 99.9% of police work is paper. You can use a screen capture to film your way. Things I like to suggest because a lot of people here seem to be going into the academy or applying. Stay safe out there, Watch your six, and rather be judge by 12 than carried by 6.

[@freefieldtraining]

I appreciate that. Report writing is in the que, along with about thirty other topics I'd like to hit. Next up in the que, by popular demand: duty bags.

[@tannerspeers1400]

Awe yes, make sure at some point your bring your opinion on the passage seat bag, the hard tactical plastic or normal connects to the passenger seat with everything you need..you know that annoying thing you have to more if you have a ride a long lol!

[@eddiefreddy8014]

hi I bought a $1 bill 1953f series but when I got to the house I use the countrrfit pen and it turn into light brown once I made a little line what else can I do to see if it's real or is fake

[@joelstevenson1071]

If you have a strong magnet you can get the money to lightly stick due to the magnetic ink they use to print the bills

[@freefieldtraining]

+Joel Stevenson really? I've never heard of that.

[@dariontaylor2527]

Yeah it's true. Take any bill and a strong little magnet and the money will stick to it. Pretty neat

[@aziraphelmallory9727]

@@dariontaylor2527 Magnetic ink is only used in European bills. US currency doesn't have that feature.

[@MARKKOL23GT4COD]

In that fake 50 the strip is on the wrong side. It should be on the right side of Grants face. even in the new five its one the right side too, but slightly farther. so this 50 was made from an older 5 dollar bill.

[@freefieldtraining]

+MARKKOL23GT4COD yep, a washed 5

[@plzhelpj2316]

I'm surprised you didn't mention watermarks.

[@freefieldtraining]

+plzhelpj there are boatloads of anti counterfeit features on new bills. I don't profess to be an expert on all of them. This was just something to get you started if you knew little or nothing about the topic and to introduce people to critical thinking for solving problems in LE.

[@beastmodejay8970]

You can just touch it money has a certain feel when touching money it's a certain fabric they use for money

[@MrSottobanco]

Have you ever arrested counter fitters? Or, does the Secret Service do that?

[@freefieldtraining]

+MrSottobanco Nope. I've never even seen the secret service arrest a counterfeiter

[@matthewchua6001]

Been watching him since 2019 and youtube decided to recommend me this video in 2021

[@first4851]

I was at the store a month ago. times were hard and I had to spend my 50 dollar bill from the 1950s that I have saved for years. the guy checks it and says it fake than puts the marker on it and the marker did not fade. im like its an old bill its not fake. he didnt believe wouldnt even give it back. I had to snatch it outa his hand and run!!! an hr later the marker mark was gone. its real money just old!!!

[@first4851]

I have $110 in old 10s. 1930-1960. $150 in 50s. 1950. $80 in 20s 1950-1980. $45 in 5s 1930-1950 ..$88 in 2s 1930-1999. $10 in 1s 1930-1950. all real. just old. also have native american coins. all silver American coins. and spanish gold coims!! I am a old money collector lol

[@first4851]

o yea also $300 in 100s. 1950s

[@freefieldtraining]

+first 48 Twer I to show up to a store with 50 year old money I wouldn't expect the minimum wage clerk to know what it is. How did you think that was going to go down?

[@AllDayDavis]

@@freefieldtraining that's a terrible reply. If you work at a place that deals with money then yes you have a reasonable expectation to know how to determine if it's real or not. It doesn't matter if the person makes minimum wage or 50 bucks an hour. It's not on the employee, that's on the employer

[@diptonsauce1985]

i just accepted a fake $50 bill (1981 series) last night smh... thanks for the great tips and advice

[@danieloshea3326]

How do you know it's fake? In 1981 they didn't have security strips or watermarks

[@yhwh777100]

Thank you very informative!

[@freefieldtraining]

+yhwh777100 it is my immense pleasure

[@RealShipmate]

Nightcore recently came out with a new rechargeable 1865 1000lm flashlight that had 4 different lighting modes. A white, blue, and red(red and blue has a concurrent strobing feature to mimic lightbar flash patterns...pretty cool.) and a 500mw 365 nm UV LED. Now I don't know if 365nm is like on the piss poor Walmart Securitas level light or paramilitary contractor noir detective level light.. but it does look pretty useful in regards to checking bills for legitimacy... MH27UV is what it's called.

[@freefieldtraining]

+Daniel Craig. H lol, me either but I'll have to check that out.

[@RealShipmate]

Opps.. wrong spelling(that "nightcore is like a genre of music) "NITECORE is actually how you spell it.. mh27uv

[@violamujjukizi3594]

WOOW THANKS FOR THE VIDEO

[@TaylorLasch]

I wish I could see that old 50 because from my perspective it looks very real. I collect currency and it looks very clear, I wish you zoomed in because the thought that you are wrong is always going on in my head. Now I will never know :(

[@freefieldtraining]

+Taylor Lasch yeah, some day I'll have to invest in a good camera. Trust me though, you can feel that it is fake in person. Also, the inlaid fibers are printed on the surface. It is a high quality color laser copier fake. Well done, but detectable.

[@TaylorLasch]

I guess that would make sense, I just dont know why if someone were to copy an old bill in such detail why they wouldn't just bleach a $1. I mean the color is 100% Spot on. I recently aquired a $10 from 1969 that looks similar from a distance, (condition wise) Sometimes people get desperate when they find out their dads $10 bill he held onto for 20 - 40 years is only worth $12 and a coin dealer wont buy it, so they spend it at face value. Sorry to rant, its just the way it sounds, sounds real too. But I guess I will drop my OCD and believe you stranger, you seem to have enough experience to know fake vs real.

[@freefieldtraining]

+Taylor Lasch if it helps I'd be happy to sell it to you for $50 :-)

[@TaylorLasch]

Quite tempting, It however has a high risk vs reward ;) Great video nonetheless.

[@freefieldtraining]

+Taylor Lasch thanks!

[@mmz77]

Great video!

[@angellromanjr7554]

Counterfeiters upon their arrest gets a free ride in a police car to the station and a free cell block accommodation at federal prison camp for producing counterfeit U.S. currency bills.

[@freefieldtraining]

+Angel L Roman Jr I'm not aware of My mint facilities using prison labor.

[@Brandonx-nb7rv]

Angel L Roman Jr but you know Many people with counterfeit money did not manufacture it. They most likely squired it and were too ignorant to know the difference. I know I wouldn't know the difference

[@JohnDoe-oj8dz]

Not to be that guy, but to be more precise it is made from denim.

[@cyberlocc]

So how accurate are bank tellers, and when do you seek another opinion? We had a tenant pay using a 1977 100 dollar bill, it passes the marker test. It has the fibers. Its very clearly old and worn. The bank just said its a fake and gave it back to us.... I thought it wasn't even legal to give it back, I am curious if this teller even knows what they are doing AT ALL. They wrote on a piece of paper "Go to secret Service website and deal with them" then said here is the bill back, k thanks bye.

[@freefieldtraining]

Well, you don't have to accept cash for payment. Many companies don't accept cash at all. When in doubt don't take it. Which may very well be what the bank teller is doing.

[@deletedaccount612]

If its fake scratch President Grants coat and if it makes a non paper sound its real. Like a high pitch scratch sound. So if that does not check out its fake. Good luck and if it is real keep it :)

[@KingJoash2002]

I got my twenty.. but it is an Australian bank note,so dosent apply to the video

[@freefieldtraining]

+The assorted channel lol, best comment yet.

[@beastmodejay8970]

Dam I should of kept mine

[@michaelweaver3389]

This is y the generation now says dont work it's like every one is so blind

[@tac6557]

God, that 2015, 50 bill looks constipated as fuck.

[@spacetrucker2952]

I want to see someone counterfeit a quarter.

[@freefieldtraining]

You mean conduit box knock outs? That used to be a very popular way to scam vending machines.

[@dann988]

black light also works on credit cards

[@freefieldtraining]

+Dan Van Winkle yeah, hard to carry around for me with all the other stuff.

[@wynona7372]

free field training i bought a counterfeit pen from staples and the cap has a uv light with a little button! it was 14$

[@freefieldtraining]

+Kayla Yanez Yeah, but there is a practical limit to the amount of crap a single person can carry. I wish I could have everything. It just isn't practical. So I carry the stuff that is necessary to have immediately. Here's a vid of it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWSmiqOanad9n5o

[@wynona7372]

free field training thanks. I'm a cashier and i got a counterfeit the other day and i literally payed out of my own pocket to balance the till because if my till was short 20$ i could have been terminated :/ it's so dumb. so i went out and bought a pen and it had a uv light with it. and so now im trying to look at all these videos learning how to detect counterfeits

[@wynona7372]

free field training it is really annoying because when i check (I've gotten some old 50s) and what not and people scoff and get offended when i check their bills.

[@MrSottobanco]

Are counter-fitters Always geeks?

[@freefieldtraining]

+MrSottobanco don't know.

[@divergingapproachproductions]

did anybody else see a random Jackson in the right of the bill?

[@DDumbrille]

Wow, verbose much? This entire video could've been 3-4 minutes long.

[@freefieldtraining]

+DDumbrille You could say I have the gift of gab. A asset in my profession and a detriment to videos made for consumption by masses of impatient people.

[@AllDayDavis]

@@freefieldtraining AKA I need to make it longer to get paid

[@kmshutton9152]

hey i found a 1981 20 dollar bill is it real

[@freefieldtraining]

+rattlesnake man66 IDK ring that sucker to a bank and find out for sure.

[@kmshutton9152]

ok thx dude

[@kmshutton9152]

hey it was real

[@kmshutton9152]

i found a website its called www.uscurrency.com

[@freefieldtraining]

+rattlesnake man66 nice, that's $20 in beer money!

[@TheHeist007]

scratch the jackets with your nail, that's the only way to legitimize a bill

[@freefieldtraining]

+james heist ...and by next week some mope will find a way to reproduce it.

[@beastmodejay8970]

That 50 sounds fake lol you can hear the paper bro

[@jaden5637]

I cringed every time you said "reaallll. Tiny."

[@ericcarter9217]

I have a 1963 series $50 bill... i'm dead

[@freefieldtraining]

You going to be using it to buy doritos and the corner gas station?

[@99CentRapper]

75 666 subs

[@freefieldtraining]

It's come a long way since this video was shot in my bedroom, on my bed, at 1am, with a point and shoot camera taped to a chair as a tripod.

[@exisTxD]

Get a better camera.

[@freefieldtraining]

+exisTxD you know this video is rather old right?

[@exisTxD]

free field training Oh yeah sorry. Was minecraft out in 015? Sry.

[@furryballsploppedmenacingl8534]

How can I tell if a 1985 $10 bill is real or fake