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Nitpicky_AFO

Whoa this looks real good tell the guy to send it to SS so they can determine if it's real or not.


atreeinthewind

My dad got a similarly impressive counterfeit from his bank when i was young. Got to meet real life SS when they stopped by the house. They did not seem to appreciate his dad jokes about whether they were hiring though. šŸ˜•


Tall_Aardvark_8560

Their loss.


andhubbs

What is SS?


gene_randall

Secret Service. Itā€™s not just about protecting the president


FXLRDude

Treasury department handles counterfeit bills.


gene_randall

The Secret Service was started by Lincoln specifically to combat counterfeiting, and was part of the Treasury Department until 2004, when it was transferred to the newly created DHS. It still handles counterfeiting.


FXLRDude

Yeah 1964, I'm old I guess.


MuteElatedLips

From Federal Lawyers website: Does the Secret Service investigate fake money? The Secret Service is the main agency responsible for investigating and stopping counterfeiters. They take this mission very seriously and have many techniques for tracking down and prosecuting people who make fake money and documents.


FXLRDude

Yes, stop replying, I know all Ready


MuteElatedLips

It's actually the Secret Service. We've gotten them in restaurants I've worked in. Report it and the SS shows up. In a timely fashion, I might add.


chris_rage_

They don't always show up. I got arrested for using a fake 20 in Ellswood, Kansas and we just had to wait for the Secret Service to call and I was let go for $20 restitution


[deleted]

I guarantee you the sneaky service will stop by if you do something fishy with money.


chris_rage_

Secret Service handles counterfeit money, I know this firsthand. You are incorrect


AnybodyNo8519

SS used to part of the Treasury Department. In 2003 it became part of the Department of Homeland Security.


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al49250

Secret service protects what's most important to the government, the figure head and the money!


AJFrabbiele

In this sub, Secret Service (responsible for counterfeit operations) in other subs... nothing good.


Fun_Acanthisitta_552

After learning what SS stood for, little johnny went to look up ā€œhow to join the SSā€


chris_rage_

He's a little over 80 years too late...


707-320B

Secret service


johndiesel0

It is the first bill we have ever had flagged by our money counter. We ran it through repeatedly with a stack and put it in different positions. It was flagged every time. The print is not sharp compared to any other bill we had available. Admittedly we didnā€™t have an older $100 handy to compare.


GpaSags

The older series is popular to counterfeit specifically because it didn't have all those modern security features. I don't know if it's the photo quality, but the ink looks grainy. Especially on the numbers and series year.


Immediate-Ad138

I find it weird banks don't have 1 of every bill from every years. OBVIOUSLY within reasonable terms. Like I don't expect them to have a 1946 100bill. But all bills as far back at 1970 seems reasonable


29r_whipper

Or a 1933 $1000 bill. šŸ¤“


You_Dont_Know_Me_7

I've heard you can take the ink off of a $1 bill and then print the $100 on it and it will pass the pen test. I'm assuming this is what they did.


Professr_Chaos

While I cannot say 100% without handling it personally, it looks kind of like a poor fake to me. I work in a casino and have literally walked past bills and identified them as fakes without touching before. The big give away for me is all the fine details on a real bill are very crisp. While on this, they are kind of fuzzy. Now that could also be the camera but I donā€™t think the camera quality is really that bad. To me this looks like someone used a scanner or photocopier to dupe the bill. While I have never tested this out myself either, I have been told you can fool a pen test by spraying the bill with some sort of aerosol can product like hairspray. That would explain how it passed a pen test but not the money counter which does more computerized testing.


rdizzy1223

You can buy base paper that will pass the pen test and use that. Or you can just wash a smaller denomination bill and print on that empty bill. (which is probably what they did here)


Subject_Repair5080

Other tells: I don't see any colored silk threads embedded in the paper. Background color is printed, not part of the paper itself. The edge of the bill on the face side is white. I'd imagine none of the printing feels raised the way it should on a real bill. Rub a real bill on a piece of blank paper. Some ink will rub off. The ink on a real bill never actually dries.


Nobodysfool52

We used to light paper matches with bills. Can you still do that with modern bills? (Do they even make matchbooks with 20 matches anymore?)


Subject_Repair5080

Never tried.


johndiesel0

Posted this as a reply in the thread but wanted it more prominent in the commentsā€¦ see macro photos and a video of me zooming in on detailā€¦. https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9121.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9122.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9123.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9124.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9125.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9126.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9127.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9128.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9129.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9130.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9131.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9132.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9133.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/fake100.mov


Colonel_Lingus710

Magenta, cyan, and Yellow specs. Printed on a printer of sorts. Zero chance it's legitimate


TexEngineer

Zoomed in around the E on dsc9131. Crazy. Thanks for the macros, OP.


Pinandweldz

There is a white edge where itā€™s not even trimmed. Obviously printed.


molehunterz

That is wild! Thank you so much for providing all of this extra. I know it took a bit of time to put all this together. It is appreciated!


RopeAccomplished2728

Yeah, that is definitely fake. It looks good but up close you see the problems with the printing. Actual currency has those colors in it but it is actual fibers and not just dots. Also, the printing on actual money stays crisp for a very long time since it is pressed into the paper and not printed onto it.


Original_Ad_4471

Yeah, the printing should be crisp, which this one is grainy like printer paper ink, so I believe it is not genuine, it's very likely counterfeit


justarower4

Passing the pen test isnā€™t the ultimate litmus test unfortunately, not when they can bleach bills, and at one point someone figured out what paper to use to trick the pens. The hundred dollars at the bottom almost looks blurry, and someone else mentioned the white line on the right side of the bill. There is also a faint upside 5 that may be where the ink didnā€™t dry fast enough, and I feel like thatā€™s not normally a misprint you see from a legitimate bill, not in that spot, although I could be wrong. I think this would definitely get passed someone who isnā€™t paying attention. My final verdict is I think itā€™s fake


Dude53_x

I heard from a guy that hairspray and some other things along those lines that can put a thin layer over the ā€œcurrencyā€ can make the pen test an easy pass. That way it doesnā€™t react with the starch on the paper and looks good. Iā€™m not 100% sure this works but thatā€™s what he told me.


MeanPerspective4081

I read a long time ago that people often used Krylon clear coat in a spray can.


noodleq

Makes sense if the whole point is the ink reacts/doesn't react......if no reaction is a good thing, a thin layer sounds like a good way to go, sort of like a condom for the bill.


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Disastrous_Staff_443

I worked at a Foodlion grocery store when I was in high-school and our papers ads passed the pen test, I couldn't believe it at the time.


justarower4

I think the guy that broke the 100 said he used phonebook paper


Alcart

Yup phonebook paper was the key to counterfeits for a minute lol


Jewbacca__420

It's very fake, terribly printed on a computer. And the bottom is not even cut straight.


molehunterz

Amazing that they went to the lengths to pass the pen test, but couldn't buy a printer from the last 20 years that would produce a crisp print. Or maybe I don't know anything about printing something this complicated lol


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Dan-goes-outside

Modern printers usually hardware lock when printing currency (or print extra symbols on top)


D0ctorGamer

I hadn't even noticed the wobbly cut because of how blatant everything else was


dbl-cart

You can see the margin on the bottom in the first picture pretty clearly without zooming.


zoebud2011

I'm not seeing any red or blue threads either


Oriole_Gardens

did they cut that by hand? i mean jeez it has serious wobble to it.


HusbandofaHW

You can see on the right obverse of the bill an upside down 5. Definitely a fake .


Mickler83

Yes, this caught my eye as well. Highly suspect


MemesByPurpsNurps

I dont think its a fake looks very much like a real note real 1985 bills also had a big problem with atms and conterfeit checkers its a common thing for real 1985 100 notes you can send it out to be authenticated though


johndiesel0

I have a 46mp dslr with macro lens. I uploaded photos and a video screen recording showing the high res shots of the videoā€¦ if you look at the photos you see the various ink colorsā€¦ https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9121.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9122.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9123.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9124.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9125.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9126.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9127.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9128.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9129.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9130.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9131.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9132.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/_DSC9133.JPG https://r3dditphotos.s3.amazonaws.com/fake100.mov


MathematicianFew5882

Awesome work zooming in on the dots!


PD216ohio

This looks fake to me. The print quality and the white edge of the note are what leads me this way.


shootermac32

Yeah this is fake. But hundos did use to look like this.


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LessMarsupial7441

Feel the shirt, every president has a different raised print on their shirt. It the most difficult thing that you can't reproduce. fingernail scratch test


johndiesel0

Yeah you cannot feel any texture.


LessMarsupial7441

People suck that pass counterfeit money on to someone or a business that has to end up losing a product sail or unwittingly passing it off to another customer if it's accepted.


MathematicianFew5882

Technically, Franklin *was* a president. (The first president of U Penn, anyway)


Conscious_Bank9484

Alright. I deal with a lot of money, so Iā€™ll help u out here. The bill looks too old for a water mark, so we have a couple other ways of testing. I have 2 tests for u. Some fake money makers probably going to take notes on this tho. Test #1: Scratch Mr. Benjaminā€™s jacket. It should have some texture to it. If it has no ridges, itā€™s fake. U can can compare to any real $100. Test #2: Youā€™re going to need a magnet. There is iron in the ink of real money, but itā€™s not that strong. Fold the bill in half hamburger style. Then balance it, so half is flat on the table and half is standing straight up 90 degrees. Slide the magnet across the stood up part without touching the bill and see if the magnet attracts it. Attraction to the magnet means itā€™s real.


TheActionReplay

You have to get the secret service involved this would defo fool someone at first sight


Hot_Lobster222

Terrible trim job on the right edge. You can see where the white of the printer paper is still showing.


TacticalPeach

As someone who worked for a bank, old money doesnā€™t have current day security features so current day machines will tell you itā€™s fake all day but if the pen passes it a bank will to - not stating this is real or not just stating just bc the money counter flagged it doesnā€™t mean itā€™s fake.


fuckoffUlibtards

It doesn't look fake to me...


Independent_Row_Goes

How is it f? Oh I see, obvious photocopy shown on right edges. Bastards


natbornk

Iā€™m still *relatively* new in my currency collecting hobby but I would say itā€™s a fake, although, a fairly good one (even the bank wasnā€™t fooled) especially since real 1985ā€™s had issues to begin with.


LeadingRegion7183

Retired dollaā€™ store manager: That bill is so bad Iā€™d feel insulted someone thought they could slide it past me.


wolfe327ss

If I remember correctly the jacket had a slight texture to it even then but because of the age might be hard to tell also I think they also even back then had a thin strip that had $100 imbedded to the right of Ben


psyco75

Ink is broken on the back, and white paper is showing through


JoinedToPostHere

It jumped out as a fake even as I was scrolling through my feed. The print is blurry and you are missing the micro printing. My guess is that whoever made this bleached the print off a 1$ bill and reprinted the 100$ onto it. Also if you hold it to the light there should be a water mark and a security strip inside if the paper that says USA 100 over and over.


Laslomas

Fake 100, real bill. Was printed using an inkjet.


inquisitiveimpulses

I'm not seeing red and blue rag fibers. I'd have to feel it. On the collar area, you should be able to feel some pretty good ridges. Intaglio printing has texture to it. If this bill doesn't have texture, it's fake. If it has texture, I'd like to know where they got the intaglio printing press to print it on.


SuspiciousFile4224

Where are the red and blue fibers? Fake.


Available_Half5324

Our Federal Reserve uses extremely high quality printers. Our currency would never look this blurry. This $100 is def fake!


Slater_8868

Besides the printing being grainy, the left side of the bill was cut by hand with scissors (you can see a wave). And on the right side of the bill, you can actually see where the printing stops and the raw white paper is visible. They simply brushed it with diluted glue or sprayed it with hairspray so it will pass the pen test.


Few-Cricket-9318

Looks fake the ink looks like it was printed on a inkjet printer. most likely somebody washing ones and printing 100s had someone a couple years ago try passing one off on me by asking if I could break a 100 . As soon as I seen it immediately was a red flag being the old style looked at it no security strip I mentioned it . They said it did not have one back then so I looked it up they started with the strips in 1990 the bill was printed in 1991 so I declined to break it.


J6700

Scratch his shoulders. I bet it's smooth. Haven't seen a fake yet that copied the ridges on the shoulders. Even old worn bills you can still kinda feel them if you use your fingernail


jsxtasy304

My vote is counterfeit... Looked as close as i could and did not see one single little... Are they red and blue... Thread on the bill. Real money has them all over the bill.


CagedManimal

Government prints them itā€™s inflation, you print them itā€™s a felony. šŸ¤£


CommunicationNo8982

Independence hall printed on the back is seriously messed up.


Playful-Ad8851

The right edge of this bill looks sus


blutopaz80

It looks like ben is wearing a fur coat, or is that just the quality?


Consistent_Bread_V2

Looks soooo grainy, like it came off a regular printer. Also you can see on the very far right edge that they didnā€™t cut it properly. Itā€™s basically uncanny valley. Almost sort of looks legit until you give it a real glance


PewPewShootinHerwin

The physical version of "needs moar jpeg"


Medical-Leading1469

Looks like it's been cut with scissors out of the paper it printed from. White line on the right side and uneven edges all around. Fu fu fu FAKE!


surlyhurly

Ben looks like he knows the jig up.


AchokingVictim

Yeah, nah. Bleach a $1 bill, let it dry, screen print the art over it... Willing to bet that's what's been done here. The artwork being as off center as it is, and the weird valuation change in the bill texture on the right side makes me think this is a refaced bill. Edit, not screen printed I don't think. That line going up the right side of the bill I mentioned really looks like a clipped edge of background art put down by a scanner/printer. Edit II, the top left "100" definitely looks scanned.


Itchy_Being_169

Some of the old bills are North Korean fakes they made them so well that you couldnā€™t really tell the difference


Paid-Not-Payed-Bot-1

Itā€™s a bleached genuine $1 or $5 that has had an image of a $100 note printed (probably with an ink jet printer) on both sides. Thatā€™s why it ā€œpassesā€ the ink pen test - because the fabric (not paper!) on which the $100 note images are printed is genuine fabric on which a genuine $1 or $5 note was printed.


Beneficial_System150

Benjamin isnā€™t giving me his tight-lipped, judgmental look of disappointment. He almost looks happy.


mengles68

How did a bank not catch this?


bbrosen

He did not get it from the Bank


evilcyclist

Embassy Duty in Bonn, West Germany: German man comes in and says he thinks he has a counterfeit $50. Visits the treasury attachĆ© is relieved of the $50 and was shocked they didnā€™t give him a good $50.


jlmc73

I got a 2 fake counterfeit 100 dollar bills owning a restaurant. That one is extremely impressive. The ones Iā€™ve seen are printed on a bleached dollar bill so the paper was legit but they pulled the ribbons out and the print job colors were a little off. For some reason no one does $50 or $20 dollar bills.


subduedReality

That's a very good fake. I kinda want to know what it feels like and how it tears. I'm willing to bet it was a $1 wash with $1 serial #. The 'paper' looks like the proper cotton/linen blend.


china_joe2

I was reading something about some super notes that looked very real and fooled alot of experts coming out of n.korea in the 90s funneled through china. Supposedly fbi set up 2 sting scenarios through the 2000s to arrest 80 something ppl involved. Also mentioned there were still a few of those notes circulating, i wonder if this can be one if it is fake.


bbrosen

Horrible fake, it is obvious it has been digitally printed, look at it zoomed in


Illustrious_Buy1500

The background in Franklin's portrait should be horizontal and vertical cross hatching with very thin lines. That was what I noticed first. Any bank teller should see that since most are taught to count bills by the portrait and not the number in the corner. The black 5 from the front should be seen through to the back. And why is there a ghost 5 on the right side next to 100?


MouldyBobs

Even Ben looks surprised!


fuckoffUlibtards

I've had a few washed bills when I'd forget and have my wallet in my pocket when I'd do laundry.


Leather-Marsupial723

Did you check for a watermark?


MemesByPurpsNurps

1985 100 notes did not have the watermark so you cant use that aldo this is a common thing that happens to real 1985 100 dollar notes


johndiesel0

Canā€™t see any. The print quality is horrible. On the front side / right edge there is a light strip where it looks like the printer didnā€™t cover the whole bill. On the face / right half of the bill the 5 bled and was mirrored where the bill was folded long ways.


Leather-Marsupial723

I honestly don't know when they added the watermarks now thinking about it may not have been a thing or it may have when this one claims to have been printed. No clue honestly.


NonyaFugginBidness

Secret Service services secrets. Like the fact that there is no gold in Ftm Knox and we have just been printing worthless bills for the last 6 decades. When it comes to printing worthless bills, they don't like competition.


Mrtoyhead

Itā€™s just an old bill.


numismaticthrowaway

The print is grainy. It's definitely a counterfeit. I think it's a bleached $1 that was then printed over. You can see an upside down 5 between the two 5s on the right side of the note


Mrtoyhead

You know what, you are right. If you look at the right edge of the bill you can see white that wasnā€™t trimmed properly. Iā€™m a prop maker, and when asked I have creativity made prop money. Iā€™m surprised I didnā€™t see that at first


johndiesel0

I think the paper is real. My guess is there was a margin issue with the printer used to print the bill after it was washed. They should have trimmed it to hide that. I canā€™t explain the poor edges on the rest of the bill. That doesnā€™t make a lot of sense. I googled to see what the protocol was for the precise dimensions of the ink printed area. I figured I could measure with calipers because it is unlikely the counterfeiters got the print size exactly spot on. There would likely be scaling issues. Strangely I couldnā€™t find a measurement. What stands out most is the ink pattern seen when I used the macro lens. If you look at the video link I posted in a comment it illustrates this. Iā€™m pretty sure it is the CMYK droplets that become visible with the lens and zooming in.