Banco de España has this week sent this comunicación to Spanish Bureaux de Change:

 

We wish to inform that we are detecting a significative increase in the number of high quality forgeries of American 100 dollar notes of the 1986-2006 issue, only detectable by banknote counting machines with up to date software, or by exhaustive manual verification.

 

There are different varieties circulating all over Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, the Mediterranean, etc.)

 

These are some details which may help detect them:

 

1. The paper is slightly thicker than the original one,

2. In some case the color is slightly more yellowish,

3. The front of the forgery is excellent, difficult to detect,

4. A faint pixelating can be seen in the back,

5. The watermark image is slightly larger than the original and Franklin’s hair look somewhat more curly.

6. In some notes the “N” in HUNDRED” is blurred.

 

Not all these details are present in all notes.

 

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Note of the editor:

 

The persons passing these forgeries have identified themselves with Ukrainian passports, and present amounts in the high four figures ($7,000 to $9,000.)

 

All of the forgeries found are dated 2006.

 

Extreme care should be exercised for the exchange of 100 dollars notes of Series 2006.  

 

Source: Banco de España.

Courtesy: David Girbau, Rafer Change, Barcelona.