Counterfeit Money facts
While investigating facts about Counterfeit Money Pen and Counterfeit Money Detector, I found out little known, but curios details like:
Abraham Lincoln authorized the creation of the Secret Service whose original purpose was to investigate counterfeit money which accounted for almost half of all US currency. He was shot the same day.
how counterfeit money is made?
In 2015, two men sold a fake Goya painting for €1.5 Million, only to find out all the money paid was counterfeit.
What to do with counterfeit money?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what does counterfeit money look like. Here are 37 of the best facts about Counterfeit Money Meaning and Counterfeit Money Uk I managed to collect.
what's counterfeit money?
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Two brothers once sold a fake Goya painting for €1.5 million, only to later find out that all the money was counterfeit
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After the filming of Rush Hour 2, the prop money was so accurate that movie extras tried to pass it off as real on the Strip. The Secret Service then had to confiscate $100 Million worth of prop money and accused the prop money manufacturer - Independent Studio Services - of counterfeiting.
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Two con men sold a fake painting for €1.5 million, only to find out that all the money was counterfeit
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In 2005 a Baltimore man was arrested and handcuffed to a pole for 3 hours for paying a $114 fee with 57 $2 bills. The Secret Service was called to make sure it wasn't counterfeit money - which it indeed was not.
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The fake prop money used in Rush Hour 2 was too accurate. After extras tried to spend what was left lying around after the climax was filmed, the Secret Service raided and seized $100 million in fake bills from the prop maker and accused them of counterfeiting.
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People have been making counterfeit money since the first coins were created, coating common metals with the precious metals used for currency. And counterfeiting is known as "the world's second oldest profession".
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Photoshop will reject an image of money due to anti-counterfeit measures
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During the American Revolutionary War, the British intentionally caused hyperinflation by printing counterfeit American money and selling it at the cost of the paper, instead of its listed value.
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Photocopiers and Photoshop will outright refuse to copy US money due to a secretive counterfeit deterrence system.
Why counterfeit money is fake?
You can easily fact check why is counterfeit money illegal by examining the linked well-known sources.
During WW2 the Germans tried to collapse the British economy by creating billions in counterfeit money and dropping it over London instead of bombs.
All printers use yellow ink to print an identifiable and traceable code on everything they print; that way if someone tries to counterfeit money, send threatening letters, etc it can be proven to have come from their printer. - source
During World War II, the Nazis enlisted prisoners to forge British currency. The idea was to flood Britain with counterfeit money in order to undermine confidence in the British pound, in hopes that this would lead to a collapse of their economy. - source
Frank Bourassa, a Canadian counterfeiter, set up a secret money printing operation and printed $250 million in counterfeit bills. He was caught after selling $50 million of the bills and only spent 6 weeks prison, as part of an agreement to not be extradited to the U.S. for prosecution.
Prolific con man Victor Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower twice as well as auctioned off a useless box which he claimed printed $100 bills. He was caught while running a counterfeit operation for 5 years straight, during which time counterfeit cash became known as "Lustig money". - source
What happens when counterfeit money is found?
The reason British banknotes have a copyright symbol on them is because an American artist was drawing them and using the drawings as money. The Bank of England decided that if they cannot secure a counterfeiting charge, then they might at least secure a copyright violation.
How counterfeit money affects the economy?
The Secret Service was first created in 1865 to suppress counterfeit money in the US. At the time, 1/3 of the currency in circulation was counterfeit!
During the American Revolution, the British government sold massive amounts of counterfeit Continental money in the colonies as an attempt at weaponized inflation
Between the 17th and early 20th centuries, many people used the term "shoving the queer" in reference to counterfeiting money. This is where the term "Queer as a three dollar bill" comes from. People arrested for "shoving the queer" were counterfeiters.
A German man counterfeited $11 million of Canadian Tire money, but was caught before getting to Canada. An Armenian man also tried with $45 million.
