Are you sure your Iraqi Dinars are not counterfeit? A Counterfeit Dinar can be hard to detect unless you know what to look for. Below, you'll find information of the Dinar complete with all the counterfeit measures to help you determine if your new Dinar is a fake or the real thing.

Counterfeit Dinar's Alive and Well!
According to AFP and General Secretary of the Interior Ministry, the Bulgarian police discovered an organization creating counterfeit dinars based in Sofia. The police seized what they believe to be the first counterfeit Iraqi dinar ever found.

This is a very serious matter, especially with internet sales of the Dinar growing at an incredible rate. Exactly how many fake dinars exist is not known, but you can reduce your chances of receiving counterfeit Iraqi money by using your credit card and avoiding money orders, check or other methods.

Protect yourself against Counterfeit Iraqi Money
Why Credit cards? When you purchase Iraqi Dinars using your card, your CC company offers a grace period in which you can refuse payment; all you need to do is simply look for counterfeits and make a call.

Counterfeit Dinar Tricky to Spot
The tricky part about the counterfeit Dinar is that they have most of the counterfeit measures mastered, but not all. Chances are, the fake Dinar will have inlaid gold thread and watermark, but not the raised letters or black light ink.

Unfortunately, because the Dinar is still new, circulation of the counterfeit Dinar will continue to rise. Counterfeit Dinars can be discovered by looking for:

Lack of watermark on the counterfeit Dinar.
Missing security thread on counterfeit Dinars
Absense of Raised letters on the Dinar
Counterfeit Dinar will not glow under an ultra violet light (variable ink)
Dinars without metallic ink.
1) Use black light to test for watermarks such as the horse head; Black Light bulbs are usually available from any hardware store.

2) Use a special pen to detect fake bills with changing color - available from your local office supply store.

3) Hold the 25,000 and 10,000 Iraqi Dinar up to a light tilting it back and forth, the color changing ink will look much like a hologram.

Counterfiet or Damaged Dinar
If you receive a Counterfeit Dinar or Iraqi Money that is damaged, consider the following:

The Central Bank of Iraq states that "The CBI may confiscate without compensation any banknotes that have been written on, painted on, overprinted, stamped or perforated, or to which adhesive matter has been applied.