The U.S. Secret Service warns the proliferation of "movie money" or "prop money" sold online is creating problems for police and confusion for businesses. Look closely and you can see the words, “PROP MONEY” printed on the edge of some of the bills, others are marked “For Motion Picture Use Only.”

Other examples of prop money don’t have the same security measures as authentic bills. Retailers may notice the paper doesn’t have the same quality as U.S. currency and lacks the security fibers embedded throughout the paper. Additionally, prop money doesn’t have watermarks, color-shifting ink or security thread.

Police warn that prop money, originally created for the motion picture industry, isn’t just appearing on the big screen. Crooks are trying to pass off movie money as the real thing.  Prop money qualifies as counterfeit under federal law, according to the U.S. Secret Service. Trying to pass movie money off as real is illegal.

Law enforcement admits various types of counterfeit currency surface from time to time. In 2018, the Secret Service estimated $107 million in counterfeit U.S. currency was in circulation.

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