Check These To Distinguish Between Genuine And Fake Rs 500 Notes

The withdrawal of the Rs 2000 currency notes from circulation has made the Rs 500 currency notes the highest denomination currency in India. This, in turn, has led to an increase in circulation of fake currency notes of Rs 500 denomination in the market, often unidentifiable with genuine notes because of only minute changes in the detail on the currency note. 

The Union Ministry of Finance on November 25, 2024 informed Parliament of a huge surge of 317 per cent in the circulation of fake currency notes of Rs 500 denomination, up from 21,865 million pieces in 2018-19 to 91,110 million pieces now. In 2023, there was a brief lull in the circulation of fake notes, but they spiked again in 2024. 

In FY 2021-22, the increase in circulation of fake notes increased by 102 per cent. Notes of 2000 denomination increased by 166 per cent from nearly 10,000 million pieces to a significant 24,000 million pieces. 

However, there has been an overall decline of 30 per cent in circulation of counterfeit currency of all denominations. In financial year 2018-19, 0.3 million fake notes were found, which reduced to 0.22 in the financial year 2023-24. 

Genuine Vs Counterfeit Rs. 500 Notes 

Sometimes, it is difficult to tell the difference between genuine and counterfeit notes. According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the following are the features of a genuine 500 note. 

• The official dimension of the note is 66 mm by 150 mm. 

• The “500” denomination will be printed in Devanagari on the note. 

• Mahatma Gandhi’s image will be in the middle. 

• ‘Bharat’ and ‘INDIA’ will be written in micro-letters. 

• A colour-shift security thread will be used, changing from green to blue when tilted. 

• The guarantee clause, promise clause, and RBI Governor’s signature will appear on the right side of Mahatma Gandhi’s image. 

• The watermark will feature Mahatma Gandhi’s image and the electrotype “500”. 

• The number panel will appear at the bottom and top in increasing typeface. 

• The 500 symbol will be printed in green to blue colour-shifting ink at the bottom right corner. 

• The “Ashoka Pillar” insignia will appear on the right. 

• The year the note was printed will be on the left on the reverse side of the note. 

• The Swachh Bharat logo and motto will also appear on the note on the reverse side. 
   

These identifiers will readily allow you to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit Rs 500 notes.