If it’s close enough to the real thing that someone tries to use it as real currency, then it’s considered counterfeit. Personally, imo anything dollar-like that’s used in place of a tip should be considered an attempt to use counterfeit money.
I thought the main thing was that someone has to try to pass it off as legal tender, which is why Hollywood is very, very careful about keeping tabs on all the fake bills they print for movies. Even though the bills tend to be fairly obvious fakes up close, I’ve read that studios occasionally get in trouble because every now and then there have been extras or set hands who’ve picked up a fake $20 and tried to use it as legal tender.
If it’s close enough to the real thing that someone tries to use it as real currency, then it’s considered counterfeit. Personally, imo anything dollar-like that’s used in place of a tip should be considered an attempt to use counterfeit money.
If it vaguely looks like a dollar and it’s more than 75% the size of a regular bill or less than 150% the size, it’s in counterfeit territory.
I thought the main thing was that someone has to try to pass it off as legal tender, which is why Hollywood is very, very careful about keeping tabs on all the fake bills they print for movies. Even though the bills tend to be fairly obvious fakes up close, I’ve read that studios occasionally get in trouble because every now and then there have been extras or set hands who’ve picked up a fake $20 and tried to use it as legal tender.