Tag Archives: Spotting Counterfeit Currency

I was lucky to have taken a class in Fraudulent Documents when I was a detective.  I found the entire subject riveting (really).  Back at my agency, I get requests to examine currency for the officers when they are on counterfeit calls.  I try to pass along some basics to the patrolmen, because there are a few shortcuts to identifying real money from fake. Quick ground school on the Federal Reserve Note:  “Paper” currency is made from 75% cotton and 25% linen.  To be durable and hard to reproduce, U.S. currency is more cloth than traditional paper, which is made largely from wood cellulose. The counterfeit pens you see used … Continue reading →