Published
How to Identify Counterfeit Banknotes
Watermark, security thread, microprinting, color-shifting inks: the features that distinguish a genuine banknote from a fake.
- Reviewed by
- Yezid Acosta
Central banks build numerous hard-to-copy security features into their notes. Knowing them helps both to avoid a counterfeit in daily life and to judge a collectible piece more fairly. The golden rule is simple: feel, look, and tilt.
Watermark
When you hold the note to the light, an image appears —often a portrait or the denomination— formed by variations in paper thickness. It is one of the oldest and most reliable defenses: it cannot be photocopied or printed, because it sits inside the paper.
Security thread
A thin band, embedded in the paper, that appears continuous when held to the light. On modern notes it often carries microtext with the denomination and sometimes changes color or windows through the surface.
Raised printing (intaglio)
Run a fingertip over the main texts and portraits: on a genuine note you feel the relief of intaglio printing. Counterfeits from ordinary printing or photocopying feel flat.
Microprinting and see-through register
Tiny texts, readable only with a loupe, that look blurred on copies. The see-through register is a motif that matches exactly on both faces when held to the light.
Color-shifting inks
Some elements are printed with optically variable ink (OVI): when you tilt the note they change hue (for example from gold to green). They are very hard to imitate.
Polymer banknotes
More and more countries issue polymer notes, with a transparent window and integrated holograms. The transparent window is, by itself, a highly visible security feature and practically impossible to fake with household means.
If in doubt
Always compare with a note you know is genuine and, if you suspect a note in circulation, consult your bank or central bank. This article is a guide and does not replace an official check. To get used to the terminology, see our glossary of numismatics and notaphily.
Sources
- Banco de la República of Colombia — public guides to banknote security features (banrep.gov.co).
- Documentation from central banks and security printers on paper-money security.
- Standard Catalog of World Paper Money (Albert Pick).