A bank worker shows how to spot a counterfeit bill after a customer tried paying with a fake $100 bill.
TikTok user Larissa Wrat (@rissawrat) posts content about her job at a bank. In a viral video with more than 718,000 views, she demonstrates how to tell the difference between a real $100 bill and a counterfeit one. “I work at a bank, and we just got a $100 counterfeit bill, and I want to show it to you guys,” she says.
First, she pulls out a real $100. “I’ll show you a real one first,” she says. “How you can tell it’s real. This very smooth blue strip has a very distinct different texture. If you scratch their shirt, there is a ribbed texture that you can feel with your nail. And if you hold it up to the light, there are security features.”
She then pulls out the counterfeit bill. “There are many ways to tell if a $100 is real,” she says. “And there are many ways to tell if a $100 is not real. Up to the light: There is no security feature. Rub on this blue strip? Just paper. Take a scratch of the shirt? Just paper.”
She also recommends analyzing the overall printing quality. “These are both from 2017,” she says. “And the printing quality is so different. Let me show you. Look at how there’s a shadow under this printing. And then you go down here, and there is no shadow. It is very clean, very obvious. And just the printing quality of Ben. He looks so much better here. Ben is judging you for your poor printing quality on your counterfeit $100 bill.”
@rissawrat what a counterfeit hundred dollar bill looks like !!!!! #bank #countingmoney #counterfeit ♬ original sound – larissa wrat
In the comments, users shared their own counterfeit bill stories. Others just found Larissa’s demonstration hilarious.
One user wrote, “We got one that instead of saying ‘The United States Of America’ it said ‘For Motion Picture Use Only’ … I was like uhhhhhh.”
A second user wrote, “I’m embarrassed to say I can’t notice that much of a difference so I would definitely be tricked by this … good thing I don’t work with money.”
“So funny to see ppl come into the casino I work at and try to pass off ‘motion picture’ money as legit,” wrote one user.
Some users wondered what the protocol is for bank workers who encounter a counterfeit. In response to one of these questions, Larissa wrote, “We have to confiscate it and send it to the Fed.”
While many users in the comments said they would detect a counterfeit immediately, everyone is not so skilled. Recently, a Kroger worker admitted to accidentally accepting a fake $100 bill with the “motion picture” disclaimer. In 2022, another TikToker received similarly fake bills as a bonus from Delta Airlines, although it appears to have been a mistake.
Using prop money to purchase goods or services is illegal. However, that doesn’t stop people from doing it. Palm Springs Police warned the community last summer to be on the lookout for these fake bills. The issue is also plaguing Georgia, Colorado, and Kentucky.
The Daily Dot reached out to Larissa via TikTok for comment.
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