How to Identify Counterfeit Money in China

Counterfeit Money

In China, counterfeit money is a big problem and almost every foreigner, in the beginning, has been passed a fake bill or two. There are several ways you can detect a fake bill (and you will notice that every cashier in China will carefully inspect all 50 and 100 yuan notes). There are five main things to look out for.

First there are two things to see in the light. If you hold the bill up you will see on the left side in the white space, there is a clear picture of Chairman Mao's face. On the fake bills, the outline of his face is blurred.

Second, below the white space and below the serial number, there is a red and blue symbol inside a red circle. In the real bills, the red and blue boundaries in the symbol are very distinct. They are perfectly aligned, or else they overlap just very, very slightly. In the fake bills the symbol is distorted. The red and blue sections are not aligned, one is usually a little higher than the other and often there is either a white space between their boundaries or they overlap unevenly. This is the easiest identifying mark of these bills.

Third, just next to the red and blue symbol there is a green 100 (or 50 on the 50 bill, 20 on the 20 bill, etc.) sign. When looking flat at this sign, it is green. When the bill is tilted upwards, and you are looking at the sign from the bottom up the 100 turns brown. This is a real bill. But if when you tilt the bill upwards the symbol is only dark green, then this is a fake bill. This difference is slight and is easily seen if you have a real bill next to the fake bill.

Fourth, hold the bill in your hand and rub your thumb gently against the collar on the big picture of Chairman Mao. You will notice a difference in texture on his collar. You will only feel it if you rub gently. If the paper is completely smooth, without any texture, you are holding a counterfeit bill! Next, on the top right hand corner, there is a 100 sign, just overlapping a little below the 100, there is a oval design. If you turn this design up, so you are looking up from the bottom, then place it so that light shines on it, you will see a very faint "100" on the oval. It is just slightly raised, this is a real bill. In the fakes, the 100 is either not there, or is very, very difficult to see.

Finally, take the bill the long way up in your hands and kind of ruffle it in your hands. The sound should be clear and distinct. In the fake ones, the sound is muffled. You will see all the clerks do this, though this is the most unreliable way to identify a fake bill, as many of the bills are very old and worn and that will affect the sound it produces.

Though it takes a little bit of experience to identify a fake bill quickly, these tips can help you avoid being passed a counterfeit bill.