La Vida Idealist

In both Bolivia and Peru, counterfeit money is a very serious topic. There is so much false money floating around that it is extremely possible that at some point or another, you will try to buy fruit from the doña selling fruit on the corner and she will return your bill or coin exclaiming, “falso!” (false!)

This has happened to several of my friends in Cusco. One friend tried to pay for our salsa class with a 5 soles coin. Then someone else paid with a larger bill and got his coin as change. “Falso!” he exclaimed and asked the person collecting the money to find out who gave the false coin to return the useless metal to the proper owner. Another friend found out he had a false 50 soles bill (ouch!) and was just happy that the checkout person at the store he tried to pay for his meal with it didn’t do something more serious than just give it back to him.

Having false money is like holding a hot potato or playing the card game Old Maid. Whoever has the false bill is stuck with it, because there’s simply no way to get rid of it.

I found out I had a false 5 soles coin (equivalent to approximately $2.50), when I tried to pay for my one and only cuy (guinea pig) meal in Tipón, the capital of cuy in the Cusco area. The waiter would not accept my coin and I had to pay with another coin. I looked at him and said “¿Cómo podría ser?” (How could it be?)

After this incident, (simply as an experiment mind you,) I tried to buy some fruit with this useful coin. Even in the dark, the fruit lady knew it was false and gave it back to me. I then tried to pay my combi (bus) fare, and the collector also returned it to me. After these two failed attempts to part with the Old Maid, I was resigned to keep the coin as a souvenir of my travels to Peru.

I haven’t received a fake bill in Bolivia and my friend and I have a bet as follows: If I get a fake bill during my time in Bolivia, my friend will buy the bill off me for face value. If not, I owe him lunch. I’d rather catch it before I get it but at least I have a backup!

No false money accepted here!

Both microfinance institutions I have worked with in Peru and Bolivia have signs on the cashiers in their offices that say “All false bills will be perforated and confiscated” with a sample fake bill stuck in the window.

Just so you don’t get stuck with the hot potato when in Peru or Bolivia, here are some ways to tell if you money is counterfeit:

For Peruvian soles:

Bills -

• The color of the number (whether 10, 20, 50, 100 or 200 soles) should change when you wave the bill back and forth. It will go from a light purple to a dark purple or blue.
• The paper should be thick and of quality stock. You can pull opposite sides of the bill to tell the thickness. After using real Peruvian money for awhile, you will be able to distinguish proper paper quality.
• The portrait etching should be intricate, with no detail left out. The quality of the carving is key.
• There should be a shadow of the portrait when you hold it up to the light. When you look at the bill on the plane, you should see the denomination. It’s one of the hardest things to fake.

For coins –

• The weight should be heavy. After handling Peruvian coins for awhile you will be able to tell if a coin is lighter than it should be.
• The coin should be round and well-formed.
• The color should be a light and shiny silver and for 2 and 5 soles, light and shiny gold.
• The coin should be smooth without pock marks or rough parts.
• The engraving should be smooth and detailed.

I’ve gotten pretty good at this recently and have become the resident fake money expert.

For Bolivian Bolivianos:

• The easiest way to tell if a bill is real is to rub some water on it. If the ink bleeds, the bill is fake.
• Other ways include –
• Texture in the engraving. Run your thumb across the bottom right corner of the bill and the two lines usually at the top left.
• You should see a faint BCB (Banco Central de Bolivia) when you look across the bill at eye level. It shouldn’t be too obvious. It’s a subtle embossing.
• There should be a shadow of the portrait on the left side of the bill.
• There is a square symbol on the left side of the bill. On both sides of the bill, this shape should be in the same spot. If there is any variation, the bill is fake.

How do you tell a fake bill in your country? Please feel free to share in the comments!

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