Special Features of Counterfeit notes of Denomination US $100 "... a very deceptive forgery.."

"... a very deceptive forgery.."
by Hussam A. Al-Abed, Amman - Jordan

Two kinds of forged US banknotes have been circulating. The first is the note with the yellowish appearance; the second is almost the same color of the genuine banknote. People started calling these banknotes "The Super 1996" referring to the high quality of printing and imitation of security features, which makes it very hard for even specialized cashiers to detect the counterfeits.

Due to the high quality of this new forged US $100 series, banks and exchange companies are still debating to decide whether these suspected banknotes are forged or not. This report is aimed at informing the appropriate concerned and involved parties on the new and increasing threat of counterfeits and to help combat and fight such a crime. The remarks and notes in analyzing these counterfeit notes are based on naked eye observation. no electronic devices were used.

Imitated Security Features:

Water mark: Franklin's portrait has been imitated by printing on the face of banknote with yellow lines on the borders of details of the image. It is visible when the note is held against the light, but flat and lacks the clear details. The left eye of Franklin is closed and appears as a black dot. (See No. 6.)
Color shifting ink: when the banknote is viewed at an angle, the number (100) in the lower right - corner changes color from green to lighter green, while in the genuine note, it changes into black. Also, some green blotches are noticed in the part under the same number. (See No. 5.)
Concentric fine lines: on both face and back lines, these lines were imitated exactly, which means that this is a very deceptive forgery.
Micro-printing: has been imitated exactly. (See No. 4.)
Security thread: has been imitated exactly by embedding it into the texture of the banknote, but the presence of the thread can be noticed directly when the banknote is laid on a flat surface, although it can't be read unless held up to the light. (See No. 3.)
Ultraviolet reaction: under the U.V. light, the security thread glows in red, but the density of this glowing differs from that in the genuine banknote.
Colored fibers: red and blue fibers have been imitated on both the face and back. Mostly, very reddish fibers are noticeable in every part of the banknote. When trying to remove these fibers; they easily break. (See No. 8.)

General Observations:

Texture: feels smooth and waxy, some stiffness and crackle can be felt and heard when handling the banknote, but when the note is held against the light a very dark (inside) texture can be noticed in the area surrounding the security thread and this dark texture appears as dark inside squares.
Colkor: the color of the forged banknote tends to be yellowish. This can be seen in the parts of the note where there is no printing (yellowish appearance).
Franklin's portrait: was imitated by printing in a very good manner, although a dark white patch can be noticed in the upper right corner of Franklin's forehead. See No. 1.
Size: the size of the forged banknote matches exactly the genuine notes.
Paper: the paper used is of a good quality and cannot be compared to any paper that was used in forging other US $ series before.
On the back: some of the printing on the fact appears clearly on the back. (See No. 9). In general, the back is dark and lacks the clarity compared to genuine banknotes.