Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia) strives to strengthen the culture of verifying banknote authenticity

There are five very simple steps to avoid becoming a victim of counterfeiting. Colombian banknotes have unique security elements that every citizen must know.

Banco de la República constantly conducts campaigns for all citizens to recognize the authenticity of Colombian banknotes, focusing on the latest technology elements used to strengthen security and maintain public confidence in cash.

In Colombia, the counterfeit pieces that have been seized correspond to low-quality simulations with commercial printing techniques identified by Banco de la República and judicial authorities. Citizens can easily identify different forms of fraud by verifying banknotes correctly. It is important to be alert and verify the authenticity of banknotes during daily transactions to avoid falling victim to counterfeiting.

The six banknotes of the new family share the same security technology supported by several elements of easy verification. Some of these are: the security thread, watermarks, matching images, and changing-color images when tilting the banknote back and forth.

Look, touch, hold up, tilt, and check! These are the five keys to recognize the authenticity of Colombian banknotes:

• Look: Observe the definition and quality of the images and the sharpness of the banknote’s colors.
• Touch: Feel the high relief on some images and texts.
• Hold up: Hold the banknote up to the light and discover the matching images and watermarks.
• Tilt: Observe the changes in color and movement effects.
• Check: Observe fluorescence using ultraviolet lamps and check the micro texts using a magnifying glass.

The effectiveness in preventing deception depends on the public's knowledge on how to identify authentic banknotes. Banco de la República constantly disseminates these five steps to correctly validate the security elements present in all Colombian banknotes through different media and official communication channels (web portal, Instagram, X, Facebook  y YouTube), Learn about them in the following video and informational pieces.

How not to verify banknotes: 

As reported, the Bank has established five steps to verify the authenticity of banknotes. Therefore, it is important to end some urban myths that are being used to verify the security elements of banknotes incorrectly.

The following practices are unreliable and can cause premature damage to banknotes:

• Do not use counterfeit detection markers.
• Do not wet the banknotes.  
• Do not rub them against any surface.
• Do not scratch them with your fingernails.

If you are in doubt and wish to learn more about verifying the security elements of banknotes and coins, please access the free training offered by Banco de la República in different parts of the country.

Another important recommendation: Do not fall victim to misinformation and do not share content about the authenticity of banknotes that has not been confirmed through the official communication channels of Banco de la República.