The U. Currency produced anywhere other than the two U. Mints operated by the Department of the Treasury, along with any valid currency that has been fraudulently altered, is considered counterfeit. Producing or distributing counterfeit money, or knowingly attempting to use cuonterfeit money, is a criminal offense under federal law. The common conception of counterfeiting involves fake cash, but it can involve many other types moneu forgery. Many counterfeiit these counterfeit bills circulate in other countries. Secret Service, which investigates alleged counterfeiting, estimates that about half of all of the genuine U. Federal law allows prosecution for acts of felony making counterfeit money committed outside the U. Counterfeiting was once a very difficult processinvolving enormous amounts of both time and labor. It required creating detailed plates for printing, finding the right types of papers and ink, and printing the bills accurately. Digital technology and printers have made th...