Did you know that Colombian currency bills contain security features that turn colors when looked at by those in the know?
That's what a store clerk was doing when examining your peso bills at the checkout counter: looking to see if the the colors changed. If they didn't, you probably (and unwittingly) were paying with a counterfeit bill.
This is one of the facts described in detail in a new article posted at the medellinguru.com site on the subject of counterfeit money. Enter counterfeit in the search box on the site's welcome page.
The article also describes the two sets of completely different bills with dissimilar designs currently in circulation in La República .. and tells who is most likely to give you change containing counterfeits.
The Expat posting at the Medellin Guru site says he's seen clerks catch counterfeit bills 20 times over the years .. and the Expat has personally received fake currency bills four times, including phony 20,000-peso notes in Medellín and Cartagena. A 20,000-peso bill is currently worth about $7 US.
www.medellinguru.com
cccmedia in Depto. de Nariño
For a look at Elvis Presley's 1956 filmed recording of the song "Money, Honey" -- begins with the line "Ya know, the landlord rang my front door bell....", Google: youtube money honey elvis