Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Stay alert when handling cash this holiday season and take an extra second to confirm that your money is genuine. Counterfeit banknotes come in many forms, from obvious altered design notes to more subtle fakes that mimic the feel and look of real currency.
The best way to protect yourself is to remember three words: Look. Feel. Tilt.
Look at the overall banknote and check for anything unusual.
Feel the texture of genuine U.S. currency, which is printed on cotton and linen with raised ink.
Tilt the note to confirm key security features like watermarks, color-shifting ink, and embedded security threads.
Eighty percent of counterfeit banknotes in the United States can be detected using these simple steps. This guidance matters during the holiday shopping season, but it is helpful all year.
Read more about counterfeit security measures and how to protect yourself at secretservice.gov/newsroom/behind-the-shades/2025/11/learn-how-spot-fake-money-it-reaches-your-wallet
For more information on authenticating U.S. currency, visit www.uscurrency.gov.
#counterfeit #knowyourmoney #publicserviceannouncement #currency
@uscurrency
Stay alert when handling cash this holiday season and take an extra second to confirm that your money is genuine. Counterfeit banknotes come in many forms, from obvious altered design notes to more subtle fakes that mimic the feel and look of real currency.
The best way to protect yourself is to remember three words: Look. Feel. Tilt.
Look at the overall banknote and check for anything unusual.
Feel the texture of genuine U.S. currency, which is printed on cotton and linen with raised ink.
Tilt the note to confirm key security features like watermarks, color-shifting ink, and embedded security threads.
Eighty percent of counterfeit banknotes in the United States can be detected using these simple steps. This guidance matters during the holiday shopping season, but it is helpful all year.
Read more about counterfeit security measures and how to protect yourself at secretservice.gov/newsroom/behind-the-shades/2025/11/learn-how-spot-fake-money-it-reaches-your-wallet
For more information on authenticating U.S. currency, visit www.uscurrency.gov.
#counterfeit #knowyourmoney #publicserviceannouncement #currency
@uscurrency
