New High-Security Five Dollar Bills Released

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Thursday, March 13, 2008 - A new five-dollar bill with high-tech security features and new colors is officially being released today. Back in September of 2007 the U.S. government debuted the bill digitally on the Internet. That was the first time the government has exclusively used the Internet to unveil its paper money.

The new five is somewhat familiar in traditional green, however it features splashes of purple. A new, more colorful 100 is due to be released soon.

Newly redesigned 10-dollar, 20-dollar and 50-dollar bills issued with security features aimed at thwarting counterfeiting and money laundering were previously released.

Treasurer of the United States, Anna Escobedo Cabral, said "The government uses the best tools available so that it will be unlikely that you will receive a counterfeit bill."

"Improved security features are at the heart of this currency series -- security features that are easy for everyone to use. Learn how to use them, so you don't lose your hard-earned money in the unlikely event that someone tries to pass a counterfeit bill to you."

An additional watermark and a repositioned embedded security thread that glows blue when held under ultraviolet light have been added to the new five.

According to data from the U.S. Secret Service, there were 3,945 arrests in the United States alone, related to counterfeit bills passed to individuals and businesses, equaling a total loss of 62 million dollars.

Worldwide in 2006, just over 53 million dollars in counterfeit bills were seized by the US Secret Service and international authorities before they entered circulation. Worldwide, nearly 65 million dollars that had been passed into circulation was detected and removed.

Jim Albert