WASHINGTON (Oct. 4, 2007) — The $5 bill is getting a facelift. Counterfeiters should be unhappy with the changes because they are designed to make the note harder to counterfeit.Changes to the bill are similar to recent ones made to $10, $20 and $50 notes. When the Federal Reserve issues the new $5 note in 2008, the most noticeable changes will be the light purple ink brightening up the bill’s center and an enlarged purple “5” on the back to help the visually impaired. The bill will stay the same size, Abraham Lincoln’s image will still grace the front of the bill and the Lincoln Memorial will still be on the back of the bill.The bill will have two watermarks: one 5 to the right of Lincoln and three smaller 5s to his left.These changes, along with a new security code, are intended to foil counterfeiters whose favorite method was bleaching $5 bills and using the bleached paper to print $100 bills because security features were placed in the same spots on both notes, according to government officials.
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