Counterfeit or Stolen Instruments (2024)

FAQs

How to fill out a counterfeit note report? ›

Contact your local police department or United States Secret Service field office. These numbers can be found on the inside front page of your local telephone directory. Write your initials and the date in the white border areas of the suspect note. Limit the handling of the note.

Report Counterfeit Currency

Visit the Secret Service website to complete a Counterfeit Note Report or contact your local U.S. Secret Service field office.

Counterfeit and Fictitious Financial Instruments: Fraudulent Cashier's and Official Checks of Financial Institutions Used in Internet Purchases of Goods.

(1) "Counterfeit" means to manufacture, copy, reproduce, or forge an instrument that purports to be genuine, but is not, because it has been falsely copied, reproduced, forged, manufactured, embossed, encoded, duplicated, or altered.

Key Takeaways: Making or using fake money is a serious crime that can get you up to 20 years in jail. Both federal and state laws punish counterfeiting, and fines can be very high. You must know the money is fake to be guilty; if it's an accident, you might not be charged.

Both the Federal government and local State governments can impose penalties on an individual for using or attempting to use counterfeit money. Under Federal law, if a prosecutor can prove the intent to commit fraud or forgery, an individual can be sentenced up to 20 years of incarceration on top of a hefty fine.

Whether your bank will swap out a bogus bill for a genuine one is up to its discretion.

Deposit the fake notes in the bank branch. The customer will be given original note in lieu of fake note. Show the ATM transaction receipt to the bank. According to RBI guidelines, banks have to refund the customer as early as possible if fake notes come out from ATM.

In a fake note, the security thread will look like it has been drawn or printed on the currency. Typography and micro-lettering: To spot a fake note, you can check the typography of the words 'Reserve Bank of India'. These words will appear thicker on a fake note, whereas they seem far smoother on a real note.

On the front of the note, you can feel raised print on the words 'Bank of England' and in the bottom right corner, over the smaller window. Under a good-quality ultraviolet light, the number '20' appears in bright red and green on the front of the note, against a duller background.

What is used to detect counterfeit notes? ›

Counterfeit Detector Pens

How it Works: Use an iodine-based ink that reacts with starches contained in wood. The ink remains clear or slightly yellow for genuine bills but turns dark for counterfeits.

Forgery is the act of creating, replicating, or utilizing a “false instrument” with the intention to deceive others. This can involve various documents or items of value, such as passports, signatures, banknotes, artwork, or other valuable objects.

Check for irregularities such as less clearly defined patterns, thicker or thinner lines, or colour differences. Under a magnifying glass you will see tiny, clearly defined words on the top left corner of the $5 banknote and near the portraits on the other banknotes. Most of the banknote should not fluoresce.

What do I do if I get a counterfeit banknote? Counterfeit banknotes are rare and also worthless. We cannot reimburse you for counterfeit banknotes. If you suspect that you have a counterfeit banknote, please take it to your nearest police station.

After a transaction

If you suspect that you've received a counterfeit note, give it to the local police. If it's real, you'll get it back. Either way, the police should be informed of possible counterfeiting activity in your community.

Report Counterfeit Currency

Report suspected counterfeit currency to your local authorities. Law enforcement agencies, banks and cash processors will submit suspected counterfeit currency to the Secret Service through our USDollars website.

To help fight counterfeit goods and protect others: Report the counterfeit at http://www.iprcenter.gov/referral. To report an unsafe consumer product, visit http://www.SaferProducts.gov. For further information, consult http://www.stopfakes.gov.