Rubles
Euro
dollars
In the modern world, electronic means of payment are gaining more and more popularity, but the question of the authenticity of cash is still relevant. Many people pay in cash in small shops, markets and gas stations, in taxis. Travelers wishing to exchange foreign money out of turn may encounter counterfeit banknotes. So, in any suspicious places, you always need to know how to distinguish a fake bill. Fortunately, this is not so difficult to do.
How to distinguish a counterfeit banknote
All genuine banknotes created by the Bank of Russia have several of the same features that can be checked both with the naked eye and with the help of special equipment. Knowing the basic techniques of how money is counterfeited will greatly reduce the likelihood of facing an unfavorable situation for yourself.
Watermark
The most common verification method and quite reliable, since special expensive equipment is required to counterfeit securities. The watermark is located on the front side of the bill, on the right side. When changing the angle of view, in a light monochromatic field, you can see a reduced copy of the main figure, combined with the number of the denomination.
Elements and stripes that change from different angles of view
The design of each banknote is associated with a specific city in Russia: in the case of a denomination of 1000 rubles, this is Yaroslavl, 2000 - Vladivostok, 5000 - Khabarovsk, and so on. On the front side of a genuine banknote there is always the coat of arms of the city. He is on the right. If you turn the bill in different directions, the luminous figure on it starts to move. Usually it is either a stripe or a circle. There is no luminous stripe on old banknotes, but when you change the angle of view, the coat of arms of the city changes color. Most often, fake money does not contain such an element, since counterfeiting it is quite difficult.
Read also: what does 100 dollars look like
microtext
On each original, with the help of a magnifying glass, you can see microtext on the front and back sides: a repeating inscription, for example, “Bank of Russia” or the name of the city and the number of the denomination. If you check from the front side, then it is located above and below in the main figure. When checked from the reverse side, the microtext can be seen at the bottom of the main design and on the right side of the banknote.
moire stripes
Moiré stripes are located on the plain area of the front side of the banknote, directly below the denomination number. They appear if you bring the bill at an angle to the surface against the source (or through the light).
Usually here you need to use the transmission method, combined with UV radiation. This will give accurate information about the originality of the banknote.
Security thread
The security thread is always on the front side and is black. If you bring the bill against the light, you can see some of the inscriptions on it.
Special protective paint
Some parts of all original banknotes are applied with protective paints. It may be paint with magnetic properties, which can only be detected by a magnetic detector. Also, on the original there are fragments protected by paint that appears only with ultraviolet radiation. Usually this is the area below the face value on the front side. A UV detector is required to detect it. You may also need an IR detector, with which you can detect fragments that appear with infrared radiation.
Common parameters
If the bill is too thick or sticks when folded; if it has rough fragments; if the color of the banknote differs from the usual one or has a lighter structure; if the paint crumbles when rubbed, then you must immediately contact the police.
The main features of real banknotes
To understand exactly how to distinguish counterfeit money from real money, you need to be familiar with several individual characteristics of the originals.
Euro
The design of all genuine euro banknotes is designed in the same style and the same theme. Real money on the front side always has images of arches or windows belonging to the main sights of European architecture. The reverse sides of euro bills look like images of various bridges.
So, how to recognize the most popular banknotes and distinguish them from fake euros:
| Denomination | Size | Features |
| 100 € | 147×82 mm | Dominant color: green; watermark: if you bring the front side against the light, you can see on the right side a reduced image of the main drawing and the number 100; the second watermark is next to the first and represents alternating light and dark sides; microtext: to the right and left of the main picture there is a repeated inscription: “100 EURO 100EYPΩ”; the hologram, located on the right side of the front side, changes its color depending on the angle of view. Also, it shows the designation of the euro sign. |
| 50 € | 140×77 mm | Dominant color: orange; watermark: located on the left and depicts a portrait of the heroine of the myths of ancient Greece next to the arch and the number 50; Microtext: repeated inscription: "50" on blue stars at the top of the obverse; on a blue background, to the left of the main picture, there is a repeated inscription: "50". The main denomination symbol (bottom right) changes its color when the viewing angle changes (from violet to olive green), the hologram is located on the right side of the front side and changes its color at different viewing angles. |
| 20 € | 133×72 mm | Dominant color: blue; watermark: is a miniature image of the main pattern and the number 20 at the bottom in the middle. The watermark itself is on the front side on the left; on the hologram located on the front side on the right, when changing the angle of view, you can see the sign "€"; microtext: repeated inscription: "EURO EYPΩ", located on the front side below, under the main picture; on the reverse side, the microtext is on top, on the image of the bridge; Security thread: a dark stripe runs to the left of the center with a repeated inscription: "20 €"; a metallized strip that changes color when the banknote is turned is located on the front strip on the right. |
dollars
A dollar of any denomination is made in the classic English style: only the important and nothing superfluous. A historical figure is always depicted in the middle of the front side, and coats of arms, identification numbers, and so on are located on the sides of the portrait. On the reverse side, the main buildings of the United States are depicted in dark green paint.
So, how to distinguish real money from fake dollars:
| Denomination | Size | Features |
| 100 $ | 156×66mm | Portrait of Benjamin Franklin on the front side in the middle; An image of the US Independence Palace occupies the entire reverse side; rough parts on the bill: portrait, denomination designation, inscription "FRANKLIN"; the color of the new banknote sample is blue and slightly yellow on both sides; watermark: a small copy of Benjamin's portrait is on the right side of the front of the banknote and has a light yellow color. |
| 50 $ | 156×66mm | On the front side is a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant; the reverse side contains an image of the US Capitol; the denomination number in the lower right corner changes color from green to black when the viewing angle changes; security thread: vertical stripe visible only under UV light. The inscription "USA 50" and a flag with the number 50 are applied on it with the help of metallization. |
| 20 $ | 156×66mm | On the obverse, Andrew Jackson is depicted in the middle; the reverse side contains an image of the White House; watermark: on the right side of the front side, you can see a small image of the portrait in the light; the main designation of the denomination changes color when the angle of view changes from green to dark purple; to the right of the portrait is an image of an eagle with a light green shield. This image is made with metallic paint. |
Rubles
On banknotes of the Russian Federation, the design is always confined to a particular city, both on the front and on the back. Also, all original banknotes of the Russian Federation have their own QR code, by reading which you can read about a particular city. A counterfeit bill may contain an incorrect pattern and even an inaccurate color, so you need to remember all the details:
| Denomination | Size | Features |
| 5000 | 157×69 cm | The main color is red-brown; on the front side there is a monument to Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky; on the reverse side there is a bridge across the Amur in Khabarovsk; watermark: located on the front side on the right and is a small copy of the main image and the number 5000; microtext: repeating inscription: "5000" on the face of the banknote, at the bottom and at the top of the main picture; on the reverse side at the bottom and at the top of the picture with a magnifying glass you can see the inscription: "TsBRF 5000"; microperforation: on the designation of the number 5000, micro-holes can be found if you hold the bill against the light. It is noteworthy that the surface in this area should not be rough. |
| 2000 | 157×69 cm | Main color: blue; the front side depicts a bridge in Vladivostok; on the reverse side, the Vostochny cosmodrome is depicted: watermark: on the front side, in the light, you can see the image of the bridge and the sun with the number 2000; microtext: at the bottom and at the top of the main picture on the front side you can see the repeated inscription: "Bank of Russia"; on the reverse side, under the image of the rocket, there is an inscription: "Vostochny Cosmodrome". |
| 1000 | 157×69 cm | Main color: blue-green; on the front side there is a monument to Yaroslav the Wise against the backdrop of the Kremlin; on the reverse side is the bell tower near the Church of John the Baptist in Yaroslavl; watermark: on the front side you can see the portrait of Yaroslav the Wise and the number 1000; microtext: on the front side below, under the main building, there is a repeated inscription "1000"; on the reverse side is a repeating inscription: "Yaroslavl" and the numbers "1000". |
Which banknotes are most often counterfeited
In the case of Russian banknotes, most often you can find counterfeit rubles with a face value of 5000. In second place is 1000 rubles, and in third is 2000 rubles. It is unprofitable to counterfeit banknotes of smaller denominations, since the creation of counterfeit banknotes requires considerable costs. But you can often find a low-quality fake on banknotes of a smaller denomination, which they easily learned to recognize with the naked eye.
As for the American banknote, here you can most often meet with a counterfeit hundred-dollar bill. This bill is most often found in everyday life, and you can simply not notice a fake in a hurry.
In Europe, the number one counterfeiting banknote is 100 euros.
How to protect yourself from fake
First of all, avoid exchanging banknotes with suspicious individuals at night. If you still paid in cash in the market or in a taxi, check the change received by all of the above methods. Or you can download the application "Banknotes 2017", which will determine the authenticity of the bill by photo.
What to do with counterfeit banknotes
If the knowledge of how to distinguish a fake banknote did not help and you doubt that the banknote is genuine, you need to contact the bank. There, employees with the help of special equipment will accurately determine counterfeit money. If the fake is confirmed, you need to remember who exactly could have planted it on you. With this information, it is immediately necessary to take counterfeit money to the police, because counterfeiting and selling fakes in the Russian Criminal Code provides for an article that imprisons for 8 years.