A new five-dollar bill with high-tech security features and new colours made a digital debut Thursday, the first time the US government has exclusively used the Internet to unveil its paper money.
"It's new. It's more advanced. It's more secure," a voice announces over music as an image of the bill bearing the likeness of president Abraham Lincoln tumbles and swirls into view.
Officials from the US Treasury, Federal Reserve Board, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the US Secret Service were part of the preview, dubbed "Wi-5," an entirely digital event which emphasised the government's commitment to staying ahead of counterfeiters.
The live "unveiling" of the five-dollar bill design, which featured government officials discussing currency security efforts, took place on the website.
The new fiver, in traditional green with splashes of purple, is schedule to enter circulation in early 2008, with a new 100-dollar bill to follow.
The new bill joins recently redesigned 10-dollar, 20-dollar and 50-dollar bills issued with security features aimed at thwarting counterfeiting and money laundering.
"The government uses the best tools available so that it will be unlikely that you will receive a counterfeit bill," said Treasurer of the United States Anna Escobedo Cabral. "Improved security features are at the heart of this currency series - security features that are easy for everyone to use.
Learn how to use them, so you don't lose your hard-earned money in the unlikely event that someone tries to pass a counterfeit bill to you."
The new five-dollar bill features an additional watermark and a repositioned embedded security thread that glows blue when held under ultraviolet light.
In the United States alone last year, there were 3,945 arrests related to counterfeit bills passed to individuals and businesses, equalling a total loss of 62 million dollars, according to data from the US Secret Service.
World-wide in 2006, the US Secret Service and international authorities seized just over 53 million dollars in counterfeit bills before they entered circulation. Nearly 65 million dollars that had been passed into circulation was detected and removed world-wide.
Comments
Comments are closed.