fake?

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I've posted this for a member who sent it to me as a private message.

hi

I came across this $20. bill, which I beleave is fake.
knight/dodge  
1991
EWB3774519
received from atm machine,can you help me in determening if it's a fake, and what i should do
with it.

                  thanks

The first thing that I look for is the serial number.  Is the prefix valid, and is it valid for that particular banknote?  In your case, yes, it is.  However, BEW would not be valid.  I've got a series of tables identifying all the prefixes.

Next, look at the note:

• Check the OSD in the top left corner.  Does it change between green and gold?  Is it uniformly shiny across its surface?
  {http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/banknotes/graphs/animations/ani_patch.gif}
  
• Check the raised ink.  Run your fingernail vertically up and down the Queen's shoulder.  You should feel raised ridges like a miniature washboard.  If it is flat, or smooth to the touch, it may simply be worn, but it takes a lot to wear that down.
  
• With a magnifying glass, examine the eye of the Queen.  There should be crisp, clear concentric circles.
  
• On the outside of the two horizontal dark bands and between the two bands, in very very tiny print, the text "BANKOFCANADA20BANQUEDUCANADA20" should be repeated over and over again.  This should be fairly clear and crisp under magnification.
  {http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/banknotes/graphs/photos/counterfeit/p_mpcrcl2.gif}
  
• Take a small drop of water and place it on an inked portion of the note.  Allow the water to be absorbed  by the paper.  A legitimate note will not be affected by water.  I've (accidentally) put a few through the laundry and they came out better than they went in.  A counterfeit note will be severely damaged by water-soluable inks.
  
• If you have a UV (black) light available, put the suspect note under it.  A Birds $20 should have 1mm diameter dots that glow a cyan colour.  The dots should have crisp, clean edges and not "fade out"
  
• The dots mentioned above are physical additives to the paper.  Thus, they are opaque when a legitimate note is held to the light.  A counterfeit note will let light pass through as in other areas of the note.
  {http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/banknotes/graphs/photos/counterfeit/p_gdcrcl.gif}
  
• Again with the dots, if you can find one near the surface of the paper, you can attempt to pick it off with a fingernail or a pocketknife.

The Bank of Canada has a very good list of security features on Canadian bank notes and some easy ways to check them.  Click here to visit their site.

If your note fails some of the above tests, it is likely counterfeit.  You should immediately report the note to your local police force along with as much information as you have regarding where you obtained the note.  In almost all cases, you are not able to be reimbursed if you get caught with a counterfeit banknote.  When turning a suspected counterfeit note over to the police, be sure to get a receipt for the note.  If it is real, it will be returned to you.  If it is fake, it will be retained by the RCMP lab in Ottawa.

Tips for not getting a fake:

• When withdrawing money from an ATM or teller, count your cash and check each note for counterfeits BEFORE leaving the ATM or teller.  If you leave, the bank can say that you had the opportunity to switch the notes.  If you stay, the teller was watching and you cannot possibly have done that. :-)
  
• Similarly for ANY time you receive cash from someone.  Check your banknotes before walking away and stuffing them into your wallet, pocket or purse.

I hope this helps.

When withdrawing money from an ATM or teller, count your cash and check each note for counterfeits BEFORE leaving the ATM or teller.  If you leave, the bank can say that you had the opportunity to switch the notes.  If you stay, the teller was watching and you cannot possibly have done that.

So if the bank passes a fake note, could they be charged? I highly doubt it. What would happen though, if someone was caught unknowingly passing a fake note to a business? Could they be charged?

My interpretation, coupled with tidbits of info from various sources, is that if you unknowingly pass a fake, you're off the hook.  However, you can't just say you didn't know if you really did know.  Cops are trained to pick up on that sort of deception.  They'll know if you're lying.  The point here is that as soon as you discover you've got a fake, don't try to get rid of it by spending it or depositing it.  Turn it in to the police.  Once you know you've got a fake, if you try to spend it, you're as guilty as the guy who made it, and morally no better either.

So counterfeiting is bad.
Knowingly passing a counterfeit is bad.
What about knowingly collecting/possessing?  I would really like to add a small denomination counterfeit to my personal collection.  I will slap myself on the wrist if this is a collector cardinal sin.

Section 457 of the Criminal Code of Canada states:
No person shall make, publish, print, execute, issue, distribute or circulate, including by electronic or computer-assisted means, anything in the likeness of a current bank note; or an obligation or a security of a government or bank.

The laws do not specifically disallow possession of a counterfeit note, so while it may not necessarily be illegal, you need to be careful about it.  Don't make a big deal about it.  Don't do anything that could be interpreted as attempting to pass off the note (ie: fun games seeing if people will pick out the fake, or just accept it as regular cash).  Stay out of trouble with the police (if you're in trouble, you don't need to make it worse).  And if you're going to keep a fake, make sure you can tell which one is the fake because if you somehow mix the fake with others, you wouldn't want to spend it, sell it, etc.

Oh yeah... NEVER sell a countefeit banknote, even if you fully and clearly declare it is counterfeit.  It is against the law, plain and simple.

(I've seen a few auctions on eBay for counterfeit banknotes.  The sellers have said in the auction title and/or description that it was a counterfeit, but these auctions were still reported to the police.  Knowingly selling or otherwise passing a counterfeit banknote is illegal in Canada.)

Thanks for the info and code reference.  Sounds like I may have to stumble upon a fake and recognize it as such in order to obtain one.  Unlikely a dealer will want to hang on to a hot pototo like that.  Perhaps I'll try the pawn shops.

So Paul was it a fake

I believe Paul simply re-posted a PM he received from a member.  I would think that if Paul had the note himself, he would know if it was fake or not.

I know  
but Paul's the one that got the pm and so he can ask.

If somehow I ended up with a fake I'd ether keep it (if low $) or try and pass it of to my bank and yet somehow alert them to it so it not put in back in sirculation

Brent is right, I do not have the note, but I'm not the best at counterfeits so I posted it for your collective wisdom.

Got a fake Birds $20 from a credit union ATM today, serial number ECF5886673.  The prefix was obviously wrong and its font was wrong too.  The OSD was much too shiny and it was only gold, not green.  The bill was inkjetted, no intaglio or embossing.  The smallest microprinting was illegible.

Good thing the branch was open, I took it in and they gave me another right away.  I'd hate to think what I could have done if the branch had been closed.  I might have been stuck with it and out $20!