Could you spot a fake note?

Thought this article was pretty interesting - I didnt know some of the stuff on there..!

Ive copied and pasted most of it from here because the slideshow bit is uber slow Unless its just my computer

1) Quite often, the feel of the paper is the first sign that the note is counterfeit - fake notes tend to feel more like paper, while real notes have a cloth-like feel



2) Some parts of every banknote in circulation have raised printing, so you'll be able to feel slightly different textures by running your finger across the note, specifically along the main "Bank of England" script on the front. A forged note may feel the same all over.

3) Real currency is incredibly detailed, colourful and sharp, while counterfeit cash can have less quality in the fine detail. the printing on a note should have no smudges or blurred edges.



4) Every banknote has a metallic thread woven through the paper - not just printed or painted on either side. While the thread looks like silver dashes the face, it should appear as a continuous line when held up to the light.

5) A clear watermark with the Queen's picture is on every banknote. The image should be almost invisible unless held to a light source. If you can see the watermark while the note is flat, it's cause for suspicion. The image should be detailed, clear and visible even on worn notes.

6) The hologram on £5, £10 and old-style £20 notes will alternate between the denomination of the currency and a colourful picture of Brittania. The value of the note is also displayed in lettering around the picture



7) On a new-style £20 note, the hologram has been replaced with a holographic strip just right of the signature of the chief cashier. One hologram in the strip shows Adam Smith (the famous economist), while the others alternate between a multi-coloured pound sign and the number 20 in digits.

On the latest £20, a see-through register that looks like random dashes turns into a pound sign when held up to the light



9) Appearing under the Queen, decorative swirls spell out the value of the note in alternating letters and numerals. These are impossible to decipher with the naked eye, so a magnifying glass is needed.



10) When you put legitimate currency under a high-quality UV light, designated parts of the note will show the denomination in glowing colours, while the rest of the note stays dull. Under ordinary light, there is no trace of this number. The new-style £20 note also has random flecks of red and green scattered throughout the paper when placed under a UV lamp.

Hope it was useful reading

[Viney]

The answer is yes. The fact im a printer for a living and can spot bad printing/colour/paper pretty easy its not that difficult. I also worked in a pub for 3 years which was frequented by undesirable types aho all tried to get the notes through the pub!! £5 notes were very popular at times as most people rearly check them We had fake pound coins as well.

I have seen a few super notes, brought to us by the local plod, and they said that even they couldnt tell them form the real thing. 99% of the time, super notes are printed on an ex royal mint press! The easiest way to check if a note is real is to burn it. It will produce black smoke with a purple flame!

You know in some countries, like Morocco, it is illegal to photograph the currency. That is all.

i have been told that the little red triangle on £50 notes has been done with an ink that never completely dries, so you know if its real if you rub it against a piece of paper and it leaves a little red smear? someone showed me this and it does work, but is it real or just a coincidence?

[flymo]

Originally Posted by Graciepants

i have been told that the little red triangle on £50 notes has been done with an ink that never completely dries, so you know if its real if you rub it against a piece of paper and it leaves a little red smear? someone showed me this and it does work, but is it real or just a coincidence?

Sure that wasnt a fake one fresh from an Epson inkjet?

[Spiderman]

Originally Posted by Viney

The easiest way to check if a note is real is to burn it. It will produce black smoke with a purple flame!

I've always said you're too rich for your own good. Look at you now, got money to burn and everything. You sir make me sick.

We get the odd fake one here in work, when you tell the punter, they deny all knowledge, but scarper when you say you have to phone the cops.

One NI bank has plastic fivers, I read somewhere you could sell them for a tenner on ebay!

[jamesterror]

Originally Posted by Graciepants

i have been told that the little red triangle on £50 notes has been done with an ink that never completely dries, so you know if its real if you rub it against a piece of paper and it leaves a little red smear? someone showed me this and it does work, but is it real or just a coincidence?

Thats a fake, I've got a fifty note here and it don't smudge at all like that.

[Viney]

Originally Posted by Graciepants

i have been told that the little red triangle on £50 notes has been done with an ink that never completely dries, so you know if its real if you rub it against a piece of paper and it leaves a little red smear? someone showed me this and it does work, but is it real or just a coincidence?

Thats true. Nothing to do with the ink drying though and i think it was the old £50 nothe that done that. Not seen a new one yet to have a look

Originally Posted by jamesterror

Thats a fake, I've got a fifty note here and it don't smudge at all like that.

If its a new one, see above

Originally Posted by Spiderman

I've always said you're too rich for your own good. Look at you now, got money to burn and everything. You sir make me sick.

Na, i burn other poeple money, drug dealers and peolpe who pay for bike parking in Westminster mainly!!

[northwind]

I used to do all the cash management for a bank branch so I'm pretty good, tbh the most important ones to know about are the feel of the paper, and the thread through the note- very few counterfeits have the thread done right, so if in doubt just trying to tear the note slightly, across the thread, will show most fakes up.

There are seriously good fakes which, to be totally honest, I wouldn't always notice... Good enough that almost nobody will notice, so they might as well be real. The investment of time to catch every fake going through a £2 million cash stock is just not worth the effort, so we didn't really bother, we just wanted to catch the obvious ones.