How to Tell if Money is Fake in China | 5 Tips that can save you

Just a quick update with some very useful tips on how to tell if money is fake in China.

It never happened to me (so far!) but many of my friends had to deal with this. Some shops gave them change in counterfeit bills! Pay extreme attention to 100 yuan notes.

Here you are 5 quick tips on how to spot fake money in China!

How to tell if money is fake | Colour Change

How to tell if money is fake in China — *A real note has 2 different colours: green and blue, depending on the angle you look at it*

This is something Chinese people check very often.

In the bottom left hand corner there is a 100 sign.

When you hold the note normally the colour is green.

However, when you tilt the note upwards the colour should change to a blueish colour. If your note does this, you’re fine! Otherwise I am afraid you have a fake bill 🙁

How to tell if money is fake | Paper Quality

This is very straightforward.

The paper used to print fake notes is quite smooth. Just like the Monopoly bills!

Hold the note the long way up and ruffle it in your hands, the sounds should be clear and distinct.

How to tell if money is fake | The top right corner

We checked the bottom left corner and now let’s check the top right.

There is a 100, just like before, but below that there is a kind of oval pattern.

If you hold the note in a position where the light shines on it, you should see a 100 appearing inside the oval.

If there is no 100, then your note is 100…% fake.

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How to tell if money is fake | Water Mark

When you hold up the note in the light on the left hand side in the empty white space you should see a clear picture of Chairman Mao’s face.

On the fake notes the picture of Chairman Mao will not be very clear and somewhat blurred.

How to tell if money is fake | The picture of Mao

If you rub your finger gently against the collar of the portrait of Chairman Mao you should be able to detect a slight difference in the feeling and texture.

You will probably only notice the difference if you rub lightly, so be careful you don’t damage or rip your money.

If the paper is smooth and there is no difference in texture, then the note is a fake.