Quote:
Originally Posted by ashinynickel
Okay this is getting out of hand. Counterfeit hundreds are a problem at Parx. I know half a dozen people that have bought in at the cage with hundreds that they received at Parx only to be notified right then or shortly after that one or more of their bills is a counterfeit......
I received a fake hundo at the Trop several years ago. It pissed me off, because it was my fault for not checking, BEFORE leaving the cage. There are a couple of very simple and virtually fool-proof things that you can do, to detect even the best counterfeited bills:
Preface... never accept the older $100's. Tell the cashier that you want newer bills ONLY!!!
1. Look for a security thread (a plastic strip) running from top to bottom. Beginning in 1990, an embedded (not printed) security thread was added to all bills except the $1 and $2 bills. If you hold the bill up to the light you easily see the strip and printing on it. The printing will say "USA" followed by the denomination of the bill, which is spelled out for $5, $10, and $20 bills but presented in numerals on the $50 and $100 bills. These threads are placed in different places on each denomination to prevent lower-denomination bills being bleached and reprinted as higher denominations. Compare a genuine bill of the same denomination to make sure the position of the thread is correct. If it is not, the bill is not genuine.
2. Hold the bill up to a light to check for a watermark. A watermark bearing the image of the person whose portrait is on the bill can be found on all $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills series 1996 and later, and on $5 bills series 1999 and later. The watermark is embedded in the paper to the right of the portrait, and it can be seen from both sides of the bill.
It will take you a few seconds, per bill, to do this. I now do it every time. Even if you are cashing out (especially if you are cashing out) for a large sum, it's worth your time to make sure you are getting real bills.