How to Identify Fake Currency Notes: RBI Security Features

Cash is still everywhere in Kota’s bazaars, mandis and festival fairs, even with UPI on every counter. Most notes you handle are genuine, but counterfeits do circulate, and the person left holding one bears the loss. This guide explains how to identify fake currency notes using the security features the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) builds into every note, and what to do if you are handed one.

Why it is worth knowing

A counterfeit note has no value. A bank will impound it and give you an acknowledgement, not money. And knowingly passing a fake note on to someone else is a criminal offence. So the only real protection is to spot a fake before you accept it.

Look, feel, tilt

RBI’s public awareness material sums up the checks in three words: look, feel and tilt. The current notes are the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series. Each denomination has a different colour, size and motif, but they share the main security features.

Look

• Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi at the centre, sharp and detailed.
• Denomination numeral in Devanagari as well as in international numerals.
• Micro letters “RBI” and the denomination, visible with a magnifying glass.
• Guarantee clause, Governor’s signature, promise clause and RBI emblem to the right of the portrait.
• Number panel with numerals that grow in size from left to right, on the top left and bottom right.
• Ashoka pillar emblem on the right.
• On the back: year of printing, the Swachh Bharat logo and slogan, a language panel and a motif.

Hold to the light

• Watermark: a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and an electrotype denomination numeral appear in the blank area when held to the light.
• See-through register: a small floral design on the front and back combines into the full denomination numeral when held to the light.

Tilt

• Security thread: a windowed thread, with inscriptions such as “भारत” and “RBI”, which changes colour from green to blue when the note is tilted on the higher denominations.
• Colour-shifting numeral: on the Rs 500 note, the numeral with the rupee symbol at the bottom right changes from green to blue when tilted.
• Latent image: on some notes, the denomination numeral appears when the note is held at eye level at an angle.

Feel

• Raised (intaglio) printing on the portrait, the Ashoka pillar emblem, the bleed lines and the identification mark for visually impaired people. Run a finger over them; they feel slightly rough.
• Paper: genuine notes feel crisp and distinctive. Very smooth, waxy or thick paper is a warning sign.

RBI’s website has illustrated pages for each denomination. Spend a few minutes with the page for the notes you handle most.

Quick checks at a busy counter

Shopkeepers in Kota’s markets do not have time for a full inspection of every note. A practical routine:

1. Hold high-value notes to the light for the watermark.
2. Tilt to see the thread and numeral change colour.
3. Feel the portrait.
4. Compare with a note in your till if anything feels different.

Counterfeiters rely on rushed moments: crowded festival markets, closing time, a customer who hands over a bundle and asks you to hurry. Slow down at exactly those moments. Our guides to Kota’s main markets and the Dussehra Mela have more on staying safe in crowds.

If you receive a fake note

1. Do not pass it on. It is an offence to use a note you know is counterfeit.
2. Note when and where you got it, and from whom if you know.
3. Take it to a bank. The bank will impound it and give you an acknowledgement. You will not be paid for it.
4. If you suspect an organised racket, for example someone repeatedly passing notes in a market, inform the local police.

Genuine notes in poor condition

Not every odd-looking note is fake. Worn, torn or written-on notes are usually genuine, just soiled or mutilated. They can be exchanged at banks under RBI’s Note Refund Rules; our guide on how to exchange torn notes explains how.

Common myths

• “A note that bleeds colour in water is fake.” Washing tests damage notes and are not reliable. Use the security features instead.
• “Only big notes are faked.” Higher denominations are the most common targets, but check any note that looks or feels wrong.
• “An ultraviolet lamp is enough.” Shops that handle a lot of cash may use detection machines or UV lamps, but these supplement, not replace, the look-feel-tilt checks.
• “A bank will give me a new note for a fake.” It will not; counterfeit notes are impounded without payment.

Rs 2000 notes

RBI withdrew Rs 2000 notes from circulation in 2023 and said they remain legal tender, but deposit and exchange facilities have since been limited to RBI’s own offices. Many shops no longer accept them. Check RBI’s latest notice before relying on one.

Cash or UPI?

Digital payments remove the counterfeit risk but bring their own scams, such as fake payment screenshots and swapped QR codes. Our UPI fraud guide covers those. For both cash and UPI, the same habit helps: check before you hand over goods, especially when someone is rushing you. Our smart shopping guide covers bills and safe payment in general.

For small sellers

If you run a stall or shop, keep a genuine note of each denomination aside for comparison, make sure everyone who takes cash knows the look-feel-tilt routine, and deposit cash regularly so you do not end up holding a fake for long. Our small business guide has more on running a shop safely.