How it works:
- Situation: Peru is the world leader in producing counterfeit USD notes. Besides USD, there are counterfeit Peruvian sols too.
- Set-up: scammers target tourists by asking if you can help them by changing their (counterfeit) 100 sol note with two of your 50 sol notes.
Places to beware:
- Anywhere
What to do:
- Where: change at official money changers such as FINSERVA instead of on the streets.
- Touch: the Sol is made using 100% cotton paper and comes with distinctive texture. They are also made using relief printing so don’t feel completely smooth – it is slightly raised along the print “Banco Central de Reserva del Peru”.
- Look: there is a watermark in the part of the note that appears blank. You can see a quality 3D image by holding up that part against the sun. The watermark on a fake note will lack the definition you see on a real note.
- Turn: when the note is raised to eye level and turned on its axis, you can see a shift in the color of the ink that appears in the central number – between purple and green.
