Counterfeit Money

[citygirl]

I withdrew money last time at an ATM & when I tried to use one of the notes (50 peso I think), I had several shop-keepers tell me the money was counterfeit - that the paper wasn't correct. They wouldn't accept it. This came from an ATM. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it common?
Also, if the money is ripped, I was told it is no good. Again, I had a bill that came from an ATM. Is there anything you can do when this happens (besides try to get rid of it by giving it to someone else?!)

 

[igor]

I had to replace a couple of times a 100 peso bill with a torn off corner. Just go to the bank where you got it from and ask to exchange it.
It would be nice to have ATM receipt. If you don't have it you can withdraw some more money and say you've just got a ripped bill.

I have never heard about bank distributing conterfeit money. Most probably it was switched in the store.

 

[Bill]

It's a bit of a surprise to me that I never got passed a counterfeit note in Argentina although I did get a chance to see a few that others had found. For me, the worst countries for fake money were Mexico and Peru.
Just to pass on a tip about how to test money in Argentina. There are 3 basic tests to do on a suspect note. Correct me if I get this wrong or you know of more or better tests.

1. press the note against clean white rough paper and wipe it hard. If the note is legit, the ink will transfer to the white paper.
2. look through the notes watermark image paying attention to the initials that are part of the image. The initials shouldn't cover the persons face at all.
3. on every note there is a hologram sort of emblem. If you hold this so you can bend the bill to reflect light off hologram, the emblem should switch from a greenish color to yellow.