Among other authenticity features, the newest iteration of America's $100 bill has a 3D blue ribbon woven into the paper next to Benjamin Franklin's face. When the note is tilted, images of bells and the number 100 move from side to side.

The note also has several colour-changing motifs and a visible watermark on both sides, with all details carefully incorporated to make forgery as tricky as possible.

The US has yet to switch to plastic notes, preferring a cotton-linen substrate instead. However, that shouldn't be mistaken for a lax approach to security. Editing software such as Adobe's Photoshop has built-in counterfeit deterrence systems that prevent users from opening images that show US currency.

Now discover the surprising places where the US dollar is official currency

Are the world's major currencies easily counterfeited?