How to Spot Counterfeit Money: A Practical Guide for Businesses

Genuine U.S. currency is built to be checked in seconds. Here is what to look for, why manual checks break down at busy moments, and where a detector helps.

Miami, Florida, United States, Nov. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Every business that takes cash will, sooner or later, be handed a fake. When a counterfeit note is accepted, the loss falls on the business that took it: banks do not reimburse counterfeit currency, and the note itself must be surrendered. According to AccuBANKER, a provider of commercial cash-handling solutions with more than 45 years of industry experience, the most effective defense combines staff who know what genuine currency looks and feels like with a counterfeit money detector that checks the features people cannot see. This guide covers both.

Spotting counterfeit money means checking a banknote for the security features designed into genuine currency. U.S. notes are deliberately built to be verified quickly: by feeling the paper, by tilting the note, and by holding it to light. Machines add checks that the eye cannot perform, such as ultraviolet, magnetic, and infrared tests. Knowing both kinds of check, and when to rely on each, is what keeps counterfeit notes out of the drawer.

Key Facts Genuine U.S. notes are designed to be checked in seconds by feel, by tilting, and by holding them to light. On the $100 note, key features include raised printing, color-shifting ink, a 3-D Security Ribbon, a security thread, and a portrait watermark. The security thread in a genuine $100 glows pink under ultraviolet light. Counterfeit detection pens test only the paper and can be fooled by notes printed on bleached genuine paper. Manual checks break down at busy moments, which is when counterfeiters prefer to pass notes. A suspect note should not be returned to the person who passed it; it belongs with law enforcement.

Industry Context: Why Every Business Needs a Method

Counterfeiting has re-entered the headlines. Reports through 2025 and 2026 described multi-state rings that bleached small notes and reprinted them as hundreds, counterfeits bought online and spent in grocery stores, and large seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The U.S. Secret Service, which is responsible for investigating counterfeit currency, continues to publish guidance for businesses on recognizing and handling fakes.

The pattern behind those cases is consistent. Counterfeiters look for busy counters, new staff, and moments when nobody has time to look closely. A business that has a simple, practiced method for checking notes, and the right tools to back it up, is a much harder target.

Operational Insight

Counterfeiters do not test your best employee on a quiet afternoon. They test your newest one during the rush.

The Security Features to Check

The U.S. Currency Education Program, run by the Federal Reserve, groups the checks on a modern note into three simple actions. The examples below use the $100 note, the highest-value note in everyday circulation.

Feel the paper

Genuine currency is printed on a blend of cotton and linen, not wood-pulp paper, and the printing is raised. Running a finger across the note should reveal a slightly rough texture, particularly on the portrait. Smooth, slick, or limp paper is a warning sign.

Tilt the note

On the $100, the numeral 100 in the lower right corner and the bell inside the inkwell both shift from copper to green as the note is tilted. The blue 3-D Security Ribbon is woven into the paper, not printed on it, and the bells and 100s on it move as the note moves. A ribbon that does not move, or that looks printed on the surface, indicates a fake.

Check with light

Held up to light, a genuine $100 shows a faint portrait watermark of Benjamin Franklin to the right of the main portrait, visible from both sides, and an embedded security thread to the left of the portrait reading USA 100. Under ultraviolet light, that thread glows pink. Other denominations have their own thread positions and UV colors.

The Limits of Manual Checks

Manual checks work when someone has the time and confidence to use them. At a busy register, neither is guaranteed. Staff hesitate to examine a customer's note closely, lines put pressure on speed, and a well-made counterfeit can pass a quick touch-and-tilt test. Checks that rely on light also depend on having a light source handy and remembering to use it.

Counterfeit detection pens are a common shortcut, but they have a known weakness. A pen reacts to the starch found in ordinary paper. It does not check any security feature. Counterfeiters who bleach genuine low-denomination notes and reprint them as higher denominations are printing on real currency paper, which passes the pen test. AccuBANKER has explained this limitation in detail in its article on why counterfeit pens are not reliable.

When to Use a Counterfeit Detector

A counterfeit detector checks the features that people cannot assess by eye, consistently and in seconds. Automatic detectors test several independent features of each note, such as ultraviolet response, magnetic ink, and infrared characteristics, and give a clear pass or fail. That removes the awkwardness of examining a customer's money and the guesswork of a rushed check.

A detector earns its place when a business accepts large notes regularly, has frequent staff turnover, operates at high volume, or has already received counterfeits. Portable, battery-capable detectors can move between registers or go to events, so verification happens wherever cash is taken.

What to Do with a Suspect Note

U.S. Secret Service guidance for businesses sets out a calm, simple response. Do not return the note to the person who passed it. Delay them only if it is safe to do so, and note their description and any companions or vehicle. Contact local police or the nearest Secret Service field office. Handle the note as little as possible, write your initials and the date in its white border, place it in a protective covering such as an envelope, and surrender it only to law enforcement. Businesses can also report suspect notes through the channels listed on the U.S. Currency Education Program's Report a Counterfeit page. Staff safety comes first in every case.

Other Denominations

The same three actions, feel, tilt, and check with light, apply to every modern U.S. note, although the details differ. Each denomination from $5 up carries an embedded security thread in its own position, which glows its own color under ultraviolet light, and a watermark that can be seen from both sides when the note is held to light. The $10, $20, $50, and $100 notes also carry color-shifting ink in the numeral in the lower right corner. The U.S. Currency Education Program publishes a guide for each denomination, and posting those guides near the register is a simple way to keep the checks fresh in staff members' minds.

One common trick deserves special attention. A bleached-and-reprinted note may show a watermark or security thread that belongs to a different denomination. A $100 whose watermark shows a different portrait or a large numeral 5, or whose security thread does not read USA 100, has most likely been washed and reprinted from a smaller note. Checking that the watermark and thread match the face of the note catches this quickly.

Training Staff to Check With Confidence

Training works best when it is short, practical, and repeated. New staff should handle genuine notes and practice the three checks until they become habit, and refresher sessions keep the routine alive. Clear policy also matters: staff should know that checking a large note is expected and routine, not an accusation, and they should know exactly what to do, and what not to do, if a note looks wrong. A detector at the register supports that confidence, because the machine makes the call.

Where Product Examples Fit

AccuBANKER's counterfeit detectors are built for verification at the point of acceptance. The D470 FakeFinder is available with a battery pack, so it can move between stations. The D700 ScanDuo combines up to eight detection methods, processes about 250 bills per minute, and totals the value of the notes it checks. In the back office, counters with built-in detection, such as the AB7800, provide a second check before cash is deposited.

Executive Commentary

“Training matters, and every cashier should know how to feel, tilt, and check a note,” said Matthew Peon, CEO of AccuBANKER. “But counterfeiters count on the moment when nobody has time to look. A detector makes the check the same every time, no matter how busy the counter is.”

“The pen is the most common tool we see, and the one people trust too much,” Peon added. “It tells you about the paper, not the money. If a fake is printed on real currency paper, the pen will pass it.”

Frequently Asked Questions

How can you tell if a $100 bill is fake?
Feel for raised printing on cotton-linen paper, tilt the note to see the 100 and the bell shift from copper to green and the 3-D Security Ribbon move, and hold it to light to see the Franklin watermark and the USA 100 security thread, which glows pink under UV.

Do counterfeit pens work?
Only partly. A pen detects starch in ordinary paper and does not check security features. Counterfeits printed on bleached genuine currency paper can pass a pen test.

What should a business do if it receives a counterfeit bill?
Do not return it. Note the passer's description if safe, contact local police or the U.S. Secret Service, initial and date the white border, place it in an envelope, and surrender it only to law enforcement.

When should a business use a counterfeit detector?
When it regularly accepts large notes, operates at high volume, has new or rotating staff, or has received counterfeits before. A detector applies the same checks to every note, every time.

A Practical Checklist for Staff

• Feel every large note for texture and raised printing.
• Tilt it: color-shifting numeral, bell in the inkwell, moving ribbon.
• Hold it to light: watermark and security thread, visible from both sides.
• Use a detector for large notes and for any note that feels wrong.
• Never rely on a pen alone.
• Know the procedure for a suspect note, and put safety first.

Looking Ahead

Counterfeiters will keep adapting, and printing technology will keep getting cheaper. Genuine currency will keep its advantage only if businesses actually check it. The strongest approach pairs staff who know the security features with detectors that test what the eye cannot, so that every note gets the same scrutiny, on the quietest day and the busiest one.

Related Resources

Counterfeit money detectors

D470 FakeFinder portable counterfeit detector

D700 ScanDuo automatic counterfeit detector

Why counterfeit pens are not reliable

AB7800 bill counter with built-in detection

U.S. Currency Education Program: Decoding Dollars, the $100

Sources

• U.S. Currency Education Program (Federal Reserve): Decoding Dollars, the $100 note.
• U.S. Secret Service: Know Your Money guidance for businesses.
• Federal Reserve Financial Services: guidance on handling suspected counterfeit notes.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection and law-enforcement reports on counterfeit cases, 2025 and 2026.
• AccuBANKER product documentation.

About AccuBANKER

AccuBANKER is a provider of commercial cash-handling solutions specializing in money counters, counterfeit detectors, coin counters, and related cash-management technologies. For more than 45 years, the company has helped organizations improve operational efficiency, reconciliation accuracy, and cash accountability through commercial-grade cash-handling infrastructure. AccuBANKER serves banks, retailers, restaurants, hospitality operators, casinos, cannabis dispensaries, and other cash-intensive businesses throughout North America.

For more information please visit: www.AccuBANKER.com

# # #

Attachment

• How to spot counterfeit money, a guide for businesses

NEWMEDIA.COM
One World Trade Center
285 Fulton Street, Suite 8500, New York, NY 10007
212-220-6200
hello@newmedia.com