Counterfeit money is no stranger to the hospitality industry, as counterfeit currency is an issue that affects businesses all over the world. There have been numerous reports of fake money being used in hotels and reports showing that hundreds of millions of counterfeit currency can be in circulation at any moment.

It pays for businesses in the hospitality industry to keep a lookout for these fake bills to protect their business and their guests from ending up with fake money. There is also no compensation from the U.S. Government for fake money, so it is in everyone's best interest to avoid it.

Thankfully, there are steps that you can take to easily identify a fake bill when it is given to you.


  • Check for Watermarks on the Bills

Watermarks are placed on the bills because they are a difficult thing to replicate for counterfeiters. It has been an effective way to deter all but the most serious counterfeiters. It is something that requires a lot of work to come close to replicating to the point where it is not worth it for many counterfeiters to even attempt.

The effectiveness of the watermarks comes from the combination of how difficult it is to recreate and how easy it is to spot in the real world. The water mark will only appear when the bill is held up to a light. If you look at the bill sitting on a desk or with dim lighting, the watermark will not be visible. If you take that same bill and hold it up to a bright light, the water mark will be clearly visible. Most indoor settings have a sufficient amount of lighting where the water mark will be able to be spotted.

As a business owner, the only other step you will have to take is to remind your employees that they should check all of the bills for water marks. By doing this, you will be able to find most of the counterfeit bills that you will come across.


  • Check for Sharp Lines

The printing quality of real bills is very high. There should not be any blurred lines or fuzzy edges. If there are, it is often a sign that lower quality counterfeit printers that were used to print counterfeit bills. There are a few places that you can check for this on the bill.


  • Checking the Portrait

The first place is the portrait. The portrait on the bill should stand out from the background. This is difficult to pull off with normal printing equipment. If you see a blurred contrast between the portrait and background, you are looking at a fake.


  • Hair Lines

If you look at the empty parts of the bill, you should see several hair-like lines scattered throughout the bill. These are placed completely randomly and come from the material that is used to make authentic bills.

Counterfeiters will attempt to replicate these lines by printing them on. This is something that is tough to make work successfully. More times than not, the attempt at making these hair-like lines will look apparent and unnatural. The printer may also blur these randomized lines. The lines should be small, crisp and sharp when you look at them closely. This is something that can be spotted only if you are specifically looking for it.


  • Check the Serial Number

You can check the serial numbers on multiple bills. Some counterfeiters will copy the same serial number on multiple bills in order to save time rather than attempting to replicate individual numbers. On real bills, there should never be matching serial numbers. If you find that 2 of the bills match, it is a clear sign that they are fake.


  • Compare It to Matching Bills

If you are still unsure, pull out an equivalent bill from a previous transaction and compare the two. By doing this, you should be able to spot out any differences much more easily. This is a more effective way to find evidence that it is a fake than simply eyeballing it on its own.

Make It Apparent That Your Actively Check for Fakes

An extra preventative measure you can take against counterfeiters is to make it apparent that you check for them. If a counterfeiter observes your employees actively checking the bills for fakes, it could make them think twice before attempting to use their fakes at your location in the first place. When they are looking for places to spend their fake money, the first thing they will do is look for businesses that do not check the bills when they receive them.

Alex Reichmann
845-325-5475
iTestCash