--- title: How to Spot and Stop Counterfeit Currency description: Across the U.S., businesses are losing millions to counterfeit currency, and fraudsters are getting smarter. With the right tools and training you can protect your business. image: https://blog.fraudfighter.com/hubfs/Make%20me%20a%20version%20of%20this%20image%20that%20shows%20a%20fake%20100%20bill.jpg --- [![FF-PurpleBlack-2 1](https://blog.fraudfighter.com/hubfs/FF-PurpleBlack-2%201.png) ](https://www.fraudfighter.com) - Solutions - [Counterfeit Detection](https://www.fraudfighter.com/counterfeit-detection) - [Identity Authentication](https://www.fraudfighter.com/identity-authentication) - [FraudFighter ID](https://www.fraudfighter.com/id) - [UV Counterfeit Detection](https://www.fraudfighter.com/counterfeit-detection) - [Money Handling & Verification](https://www.fraudfighter.com/products/money-counters) - [Compliance & Risk Mitigation](https://www.fraudfighter.com/education/compliance-management) - Products - [Counterfeit Detection Devices](https://www.fraudfighter.com/products/uv-counterfeit-detectors) - [CT-600](https://www.fraudfighter.com/products/ct600) - [CT-250](https://www.fraudfighter.com/products/ct250) - 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[** ](https://twitter.com/share?source=https://blog.fraudfighter.com/how-to-spot-and-stop-counterfeit-currency&text=How%20to%20Spot%20and%20Stop%20Counterfeit%20Currency%20-%20https://blog.fraudfighter.com/how-to-spot-and-stop-counterfeit-currency) - [** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blog.fraudfighter.com/how-to-spot-and-stop-counterfeit-currency&title=How%20to%20Spot%20and%20Stop%20Counterfeit%20Currency&picture=https://www.fraudfighter.com/hubfs/Make%20me%20a%20version%20of%20this%20image%20that%20shows%20a%20fake%20100%20bill.jpg&description=Across%20the%20U.S.,%20businesses%20are%20losing%20millions%20to%20counterfeit%20currency,%20and%20fraudsters%20are%20getting%20smarter.%20With%20the%20right%20tools%20and%20training%20you%20can%20protect%20your%20business.) - [** ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.fraudfighter.com/how-to-spot-and-stop-counterfeit-currency&title=How%20to%20Spot%20and%20Stop%20Counterfeit%20Currency&summary=Across%20the%20U.S.,%20businesses%20are%20losing%20millions%20to%20counterfeit%20currency,%20and%20fraudsters%20are%20getting%20smarter.%20With%20the%20right%20tools%20and%20training%20you%20can%20protect%20your%20business.) ## **Counterfeits Just Keep Getting Better** In 2023, a retail store in California unknowingly accepted over $10,000 in counterfeit $100 bills in a single month. The counterfeit notes were so convincing that even experienced cashiers failed to recognize them. It wasn’t until a bank deposit was rejected that the fraud was discovered—too late for the store to recover its losses.   ![Cash Drawer](https://blog.fraudfighter.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025/Blogs/Cash%20Drawer.jpg?width=770&height=434&name=Cash%20Drawer.jpg) This scenario isn’t unique. Across the U.S., businesses are losing millions to counterfeit currency, and fraudsters are getting smarter. Whether it’s through high-tech digital counterfeiting, bill bleaching, or even state-sponsored "supernotes," counterfeit bills continue to slip past unsuspecting businesses. But with the right tools and training, you can protect your business.   ## **Types of Counterfeit Currency and How Criminals Get Away With It** ### **1. Bill Bleaching – The Counterfeiter’s Secret Weapon**   One of the most deceptive counterfeiting techniques is bill bleaching. Imagine you’re a cashier, and a customer hands you a crisp $100 bill. It looks and feels real. You check it with a counterfeit detection marker pen, and it passes. But what you don’t know is that this bill started as a $5 note.   ![Bleach](https://blog.fraudfighter.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025/Blogs/Bleach.jpg?width=770&height=434&name=Bleach.jpg)   Criminals use household chemicals, such as bleach or degreaser, to strip the ink from low-value bills while preserving the security features of the genuine paper. They then reprint the note with a higher denomination. Since the paper is real, traditional counterfeit detection marker pens are useless.   📌 **Solution:** Businesses can use UV detectors and automatic counterfeit scanners like the [**CT-600**](https://www.fraudfighter.com/products/ct600), which detect mismatched security features that remain after bill bleaching.   ### **2. Supernotes – When Governments Fake Money**   Not all counterfeiters work in basement print shops. Some have the backing of entire governments. For decades, intelligence agencies have suspected North Korea of producing high-quality counterfeit $100 bills, known as "supernotes." These fake bills are printed using state-of-the-art intaglio presses—just like the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. They contain accurate security features, raised ink, and even UV-responsive elements. Supernotes are so convincing that they have passed through the global financial system for years before detection. A Taiwanese businessman once admitted to smuggling **$25 million** in North Korean supernotes into the U.S., working with organized crime groups in China and Russia.   📌 **Solution:** Businesses should invest in multi-feature counterfeit detectors like the [**FF-3000**](https://www.fraudfighter.com/products/ff3000), which analyze infrared ink, intaglio printing, and security threads—features even high-quality counterfeits struggle to replicate.   ## **How to Protect Your Business from Counterfeit Bills** - **Train employees** to recognize security features like color-shifting ink, microprinting, and security threads. Learn more here: [https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2020-12/KnowYourMoney.pdf](https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2020-12/KnowYourMoney.pdf)  - **Use multi-layered detection tools** like the [**CT-600**](https://www.fraudfighter.com/products/ct600), which verifies banknotes using infrared, UV, and magnetic ink detection. - **Regularly update counterfeit detection policies** to keep up with evolving counterfeiting techniques. ![Info Graph - CT600](https://blog.fraudfighter.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025/Blogs/Info%20Graph%20-%20CT600.png?width=1536&height=1024&name=Info%20Graph%20-%20CT600.png)   By combining FraudFighter’s counterfeit detection technology with strong fraud prevention policies, businesses can avoid costly losses and maintain financial security. - [**](https://twitter.com/share?source=https://blog.fraudfighter.com/how-to-spot-and-stop-counterfeit-currency&text=How%20to%20Spot%20and%20Stop%20Counterfeit%20Currency%20-%20https://blog.fraudfighter.com/how-to-spot-and-stop-counterfeit-currency) - 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