Fake RMB? Raise your Maojamin's to the light

Via a commenter on China Rant we learned of the above Flickr photo that apparently compares a fake 100 kuai bill (top) with a real one. The commenter said this: "Checking the black vertical line is really black is a good idea, and a quick scratch of Mao's jacket (which should be slightly ribbed) is usually enough."

We haven't been passed a fake bill (that we know of) in a while, but a couple years ago it happened quite frequently to people we know -- mostly 50 kuai notes. (McDonald's seemed to be a good place to re-introduce the fake notes into the currency stream.) But based on recent comments we've seen, Shanghai is still flush with fakes. Looks like China's measures put in place in 2000 "to ensure that no phony or damaged RMB gets into the hands of the public" didn't quite do the trick.