Observe the portrait. Look at the picture of the person on the bill. There are specific discrepancies that will tell you if the bill is fake.
- Portraits in fake bills may appear dull, blurred, and flat, while in real currency, the portraits are sharp and contain very fine detailing.
- On a real bill, the portrait tends to stand out from the background. On counterfeit bills, the portrait's coloring tends to blend too much with the bill.
- Use a magnifying glass to closely observe the rim of the portrait. There should be the phrase "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" repeated along the sides of the portrait. This will look like a solid line to the naked eye. This feature is especially hard to replicate using office machine copiers or printers due to its size and detail.
