The Truth or Consequences Police Department has received four complaints in a period of three weeks of counterfeit currency being circulated throughout the community consisting mostly of $10.00 dollar bills.
The Truth or Consequences Police Department is encouraging awareness regarding counterfeit currency, especially as the holiday season approaches. Some of the things to look for in determining valid or counterfeit funds are:
1. Does it feel right? – The printed paper should feel crisp due to embedded fibers and shouldn’t be floppy.
2. Watermarks – Most forms of paper currency have a watermark when held to the light that will display a picture or denomination numeral.
3. Micro-text and magnifying glass – The micro-text of a counterfeit banknote will show signs of being smudged due to the fact that most printers cannot produce the small font. If you were to take a magnify glass to a genuine 2007 Series $5 United States banknote you will notice the micro-text phrase “five dollars” throughout the border edges. A counterfeit version of this banknote might show the text to be smeared instead of being crisp.
4. Print, ink quality – The print quality will be very inferior when compared against a genuine banknote. The ink on most banknotes will appear metallic and shift colors when tilted. There could be the possibility of having a counterfeit banknote if the print and ink appear to be blurred, but also could….