Some people keep their savings in savings banks, while others keep them in glass jars. The last option, writes Narodnaya Gazeta, is fraught with very unexpected troubles. If stored improperly, dollar bills can become infected with fungus. Such a story happened to a resident of Vitebsk, Ekaterina. The exchange office refused to accept the $100 that belonged to her: under ultraviolet light, the bill glowed blue. “It was eaten by a fungus, we don’t change those,”- said the cashier.

As the candidate of biological sciences, head of the mycology laboratory at the Institute of Experimental Botany named after. V. F. Kuprevich NAS of Belarus Olga Gapienko, a fungus living on dollar bill, is a common occurrence. The main reason for damage to banknotes is violation of storage conditions: low temperature, high relative humidity (the norm is up to 55%), lack of ventilation.

If you leave a stack of banknotes in a damp, unventilated room with a low temperature, one of which is infected with a fungus, after some time its spores will move to neighboring banknotes and begin to “eat” the paper. Therefore, dollars should never be buried in the ground, they should be stored in a dry room, and they should not be packaged in cellophane.

Why does the fungus attack the dollar? It turns out that the technology for making euros and Belarusian currency somewhat different, it provides stronger fibers that are not subject to destructive processes.

The chief specialist of the National Bank's department of organization and methodology of cash work, Viktor Sosnovsky, said that banknote paper, including US dollars, should not glow in ultraviolet rays: unlike ordinary paper, it does not contain optical brightener and therefore looks dark in filtered ultraviolet light. The glow of the paper indicates either a counterfeit or a chemical effect on the genuine banknote. However, local glow under ultraviolet light does not always mean that a fungus has “worked” here. Both money washed with clothes and those that were exposed to an aggressive environment glow, and Bank employee cannot determine exactly what factor caused the glow. Therefore, cashiers who refused to accept a hundred-dollar bill that glowed under ultraviolet light could have been mistaken in the fact that the reason for the non-payment of the banknote was a fungus, the expert added.

Answering the question about which banks can still accept dollar “substandard” ones, Viktor Sosnovsky said that banks can independently develop a list of criteria for the payment of banknotes in foreign currency, taking into account the requirements of foreign banks or intermediary banks with which they have entered into relevant agreements . Therefore, the same banknote can be exchanged in one bank, but in another it cannot be exchanged, even with a commission. Damaged currency, for example, is accepted at Belvnesheconombank, BPS-Sberbank, Belarusbank, Belinvestbank, BTA Bank, BelSwissBank, Belgazprombank with a small commission set by the banks themselves (about 2-3. 5%). The decision to accept the bill or not is made by the cashier, guided by the regulations of his bank on the signs of payment foreign currency. Every year, a considerable amount of American currency with defects, including fungus, is exported abroad. It is wrong to talk about an “epidemic” of fungus in Belarus, but, according to experts, it is also impossible to ignore the problem.

Removing dirt from banknotes is not a simple process; one might say it’s a piece of jewelry work.

Each bonist has his own method, proven over the years, of removing various deposits and stains from banknotes. For example, cleanse money with citric acid. Perhaps this is where the expression “laundering” money comes from. But sometimes during such “operations” the booms can become dull or deformed. But at the same time, it is possible to detect a fake when the “banknote” turns into a blank sheet of paper during the cleaning process.

In any case, before starting work, you must clearly know the origin of the stain and the properties of the material from which it will be removed.

IN in this case we are talking about dollars. All dollars are printed on special paper, which is predominantly composed of cotton and linen. This is far from the same paper that books are printed on. And it can be easily distinguished. It is rough and velvety to the touch, almost like fabric. Also, the paper of real dollars is very strong and durable. It's not so easy to break it. The paper of genuine US dollars is elastic to the touch.

Dollars are printed using high quality dyes. Therefore, the design on American money does not fade or fade. Very good way To check the quality of the paint is to rub the bill with force. If the paint smudges or your finger is even slightly stained, then doubts about the authenticity of the banknote are well founded.

Real dollars have special magnetic inclusions. In appearance, they look like colored fibers located in different places on the banknote. These fibers come in different colors - red, blue and black. Their distinguishing feature- this means that the fibers are in no way drawn, but rather interspersed.

Litol is a plastic waterproof lubricant obtained by thickening petroleum oils with lithium soap of 12-hydroxystearic acid. And accordingly, a stain of this kind belongs to stains of greasy and oil origin.

A banknote drenched in petroleum products, stained with paint, oil, is washed with organic solvents: gasoline, benzene, wine alcohol, etc. (according to the principle: like dissolves in like).

Rusty spots on a banknote can be the products of the vital activity of bacteria that have accumulated iron oxides introduced into the base or printing ink, and can also form when a wet banknote comes into contact with metal objects. To remove rust stains, use oxalic acid (concentration up to 5%) and citric acid, as well as potassium permanganate. In this case, a solution of weak concentration is first used, and then it is strengthened to a saturated solution. After removing the stains, the sign is washed with cold water for 5-10 minutes.

Violet ink is removed with a 10-30% solution of perhydrol (hydrogen peroxide), which is applied using a glass rod. The resulting yellow liquid is removed with filter paper. The process is repeated until the ink stains completely disappear. Then the sign is washed with cold water for 3-5 minutes.
If the bill is wrinkled, it has mechanical contamination. This defect is eliminated by the “refreshing” method. The banknote is placed on a clean glass surface and bright lighting is turned on (it is advisable to have bottom lighting). Using careful oscillatory movements, trying not to damage the text and paper, remove mechanical impurities with a scalpel (some of them can even be removed with a soft eraser). After this, the sign is moistened with lukewarm water (20-30°C) and straightened on the glass with tweezers. If it does not lose color, the water temperature can be increased to 30-50°C. The sign straightened in this way must be wetted for 3-10 minutes, depending on the quality of the paper. At the same time, all folds are smoothed out and the bill becomes even. If the water begins to tint or smudges appear on the sign, you should stop wetting with warm water and start pouring cold water on it - the discoloration process will stop and the sign will not be damaged.
A crumpled bill, with torn edges and general contamination, is placed on the glass and processed in the same way as described above. After the mark has become smooth, it is necessary to wash off the general contamination. To do this, use a slightly alkaline solution (for example, a solution of 60% laundry or baby soap). Strong (alkaline) solutions cannot be used, as they affect many dyes and the sign may become discolored. They begin to wash the banknote along the edges, lightly rubbing it with a soft gauze swab with cotton wool or a soft brush. Do not press too hard on the paper, as this may wash off the paint or damage the base of the paper. If the tampon begins to stain, the treatment should be stopped and the surface of the bill should be quickly rinsed with cold water. When one side of the sign is processed, it is carefully turned over onto the glass, straightened and processed on the other side. When washing banknotes, it is advisable not to touch signatures made in ink, as well as any seals or overprints made in ink. They are covered with blotting (filter) paper. After the sign is washed, it is washed for 5-10 minutes. wash with cold water and strengthen the torn edges on the backlit glass - glue them with tissue or condenser paper.

“Mushrooms are everywhere! They are in the air, in the ground. But without them, life would stop,”- says the head of the mycology laboratory of the Institute of Experimental Botany of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus Olga Gapienko.

But this is a normal phenomenon, the biologist reassures. Dollars are made from cotton fiber, so if the conditions are right, fungus will grow.

"Normal conditions for the growth of mushrooms - mushrooms grow, and conditions that do not stimulate growth - the fungus does not grow. This is humidity and temperature. I did not check the dollars. It could be any fungus that grows on paper, or one that was indoors "There are a lot of them, these mushrooms."

For example, the currency was stored somewhere in a damp place, in the same basement. Now many people do this, talks about the possible causes of the fungus Olga Gapienko.

Most cash currency in our country stores on its premises National Bank . Are foreign exchange reserves safe? We tell the employees of the National Bank storage facility about the dangerous fungus. "Horrible",- we hear in response:

“We have approximately 50 percent humidity. There is no mold! Ventilation is used. The air is flowing, it does not stagnate. Normal ordinary conditions, like in an apartment,”- the bankers reassure and give advice: it is important that the humidity does not exceed 60-70 percent. If the room temperature is low, humidity is high and there are no special filters, condensation will collect there and mold will appear.

“To prevent fungus from growing, you need normal temperature, dry air and ventilation,”- explains Olga Gapienko.

In general, if the dollar is in the apartment or in the wallet, then everything will be fine.

In order for the fungus to grow, it must be stored American currency in cellophane or a glass jar - in stockings you can, they are ventilated. Either put the currency in the basement, or bury it in the ground.

You can, of course, bury your savings in Canadian currency instead of American dollars, because it is made of plastic. But this may not help either, because they have already discovered a fungus that eats plastic!

"He eats polymers, glass, he eats everything. If there were no mushrooms, we would suffocate from organics. Now mushrooms have even moved to synthetics. We found a fungus that is accustomed to eating plastic. It eats everything, and then it turns into inorganics, thanks from which the forest then grows."

If the dollar has been eaten by a fungus, then there is no need to despair. You can always return it to any bank with a small commission, they explain at the National Bank branch on Tolstoy.

"The National Bank is like everyone else commercial banks, — accepts such currency for collection. The currency is accepted and credited to a specific account. If they cannot determine the type of contamination or they think the currency is counterfeit, it must be accepted for collection. It is taken from you, checked within a month, there is a certain commission for this, now about 5 percent.”

Also, at the discretion of the cashier, such currency can be exchanged immediately at the exchanger with a small commission.

According to the resolution of the National Bank, it is possible to exchange banknotes that have tears, including those sealed with adhesive tape, minor damage, punctures, missing corners and edges, minor dirt, stains, inscriptions, stamps.

You can also exchange banknotes that have lost a significant part, but not more than 45 percent, glued together from parts belonging to one banknote and constituting 55 percent of its area. Banknotes that have changed color, glow in ultraviolet light, or are damaged by fire, other liquids or chemicals, if this does not interfere with checking the banknotes for authenticity. Or bills that have changed their size due to exposure to an aggressive environment.

“I withdrew dollars from a deposit in one Belarusian bank, a few days later I brought the entire bundle, in bank packaging, to the cash desk of another bank, and there they rejected 5 bills of 100 dollars each,” the correspondent told this story. "BR" resident of Minsk Evgenia L.

As the cashier explained, the money “shows mold stains.” When our reader asked to draw up an act of non-acceptance of currency indicating the reason, the cashier agreed to take 400 dollars out of 500. She advised exchanging the remaining hundred-dollar bill at Belarusbank, warning that she might have to pay a commission for this service.

It turned out that this is not the first such case. A few months ago, in the capital’s exchange office, Evgenia L.’s husband was already faced with a refusal to accept a 100-dollar bill. Then the request to draw up an act of non-acceptance of the bill worked flawlessly - the money was immediately credited. This time, in order to understand her rights, our reader turned to the National Bank and the Ministry of Trade.

The answer from the National Bank came very quickly: we are not involved in replacing foreign cash and cannot require banks to comply with a single standard appearance bills

In the main department of issuing and cash operations, the department referred to the resolution of the board of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus dated June 6, 2011 No. 212 “On introducing amendments and additions to the Instructions for organizing cash work in banks and non-banking financial institutions of the Republic of Belarus,” according to which banks were provided the right to independently develop a list of features for the payment of banknotes in foreign currency, taking into account the requirements of foreign banks or intermediary banks. It should be placed at bank tellers for public viewing.

The basis of this list is the rules established by banks issuing foreign currency, since it is the issuing bank that determines the list of signs of the payment of its currency, that is, it establishes a kind of “lower limits” beyond which banknote is considered non-payable and cannot be exchanged.

However, it is not at all necessary that Belarusian banks will exactly use the payment characteristics of banknotes developed by issuing banks of foreign countries, the National Bank notes. In practice, Belarusian banks that have purchased foreign currency export it abroad to a foreign correspondent bank, and therefore develop a list of features for the payment of banknotes, also taking into account the rules established by the foreign correspondent bank. And those banks that do not independently export currency abroad are guided by the requirements of collecting partner banks.

If a banknote at the cash desk is rejected, it can be returned to one of the banks that provide services for replacing “withdrawn or withdrawn from circulation, but accepted for exchange, as well as worn, damaged, but retaining signs of payment, foreign currency banknotes, the authenticity of which is beyond doubt ". In this case, the bank charges a fee, and this is quite legal.

The National Bank summed up its detailed but disappointing response with the conclusion that it is not authorized to conduct any investigation into this complaint or to classify in any way the actions of bank employees.

It turns out that the client has no guarantees that, having cashed out his foreign currency savings at the bank, he will be able to use them without problems. After all, a banknote with “mold stains” looks absolutely normal in appearance, our reader claims, and only in the light of a special device are the flaws supposedly visible. In a country where a store will accept shoes with a hidden defect back within 60 days, does no one really insure the client against “low-quality” euros and dollars?

The Ministry of Trade explained how to protect yourself from surprise bills.

“To avoid such situations, the consumer must, when making withdrawal transactions, Money from the deposit account, recalculate cash one by one by turning Special attention on the condition of the banknotes,” Deputy Minister of Trade Edward Matulis answered the BR reader. - At the request of the consumer, the bank cashier is obliged to check the banknotes for authenticity. Banknotes that have caused doubts among the consumer must be replaced by the bank cashier."

That is, look for mold without leaving the cash register. If the money was not counted by the client at the cash desk, then statements of shortage or non-payment of banknotes by banks will not be accepted.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Trade took care of the applicant, and the bank that issued the money “with mold” promised to accept its bill back. True, our reader did not have to take advantage of this gesture of goodwill. Without waiting for an answer, she handed over the “bad” hundred to the exchanger of the same bank.

- In mid-December 2013 I closed foreign currency deposit at Belarusbank. The cashier brought a wad of bills in cellophane and asked if I would count them. I refused to do it myself and asked her to count the money for banknote counter, - says Victoria.

Everything came together, the girl took the money home, where it was kept for about a month. Later, Victoria took the pack to Belagroprombank, where she wanted to open a foreign currency deposit . The bank did not accept two $50 bills. The cashier explained to the discouraged girl that mold had appeared on them. . They say that it is not noticeable to the naked eye, but it “signals” in ultraviolet rays.

- It didn’t occur to me to ask Belarusbank to illuminate the banknotes on the currency detector,- Victoria throws up her hands.

A bank teller is not required to check the validity of banknotes when handing them out to the client. Such a rule simply does not exist. Does this mean that no one is immune from the risk of receiving moldy cash?

- Cashiers are required to check the authenticity and validity of all banknotes when accepting them at the bank, and to use technical means of control. A similar check is carried out during the processes of processing valuables, receiving and transferring them between bank cashiers. Cashiers bear full financial responsibility for non-payment and dubious banknotes found among the cash sorted and packaged by them. With unconditional compliance with legal requirements and a properly organized process of accepting and processing banknotes, additional payment verification at the time of the debit transaction is redundant and, at a minimum, will contribute to the formation of queues- says the deputy director of the department for work with values ​​- the head of the department cash service Belarusbank Alexander Cherepanov.

By the way, near bank cash desks there is always a list of signs that banknotes are valid - both in Belarusian rubles and in foreign currency. If the client, when receiving and counting money, believes that the bills issued to him do not meet the payment criteria, he has the right to ask the cashier to change them.

Mold grows where it is humid and stuffy

“I didn’t think that a bank could issue banknotes with mold,” Victoria throws up her hands.

In fact, it is now impossible to check when it started on the two ill-fated “fiftys”: before issuance at the bank or after. Head of the Mycology Laboratory of the Institute of Experimental Botany named after. V.F. Kuprevich NAS of Belarus Olga Gapienko says that mold appears when conditions for this are created: high humidity and lack of ventilation.

- In banks, banknotes are stored in special storage facilities, which provide optimal temperature (18-25 degrees) and humidity conditions (relative air humidity within 45-60 percent),- says Viktor Sosnovsky, chief specialist of the department of organization of cash work of the National Bank.

Genuine and payment banknotes remain dark in ultraviolet light because they do not contain optical brightener. If a banknote glows under UV rays, it is either counterfeit or has been chemically damaged, for example, if it was washed with clothes and came into contact with laundry detergent.

- The appearance of mold microorganisms is a type of biological impact. Banknotes that have been subjected to it also emit a glow in the UV range, - Olga Gapienko clarifies.

Important nuance: If a cashier notices a glow on a banknote while checking, he cannot say exactly what caused it. Mold is often just a “horror story” for customers. Yes, under certain conditions it affects money, but this is a normal phenomenon that should not be demonized, Olga Gapienko assures.

You can return questionable banknotes only with an additional payment.

Most often, it doesn’t matter to a person whether the mold damaged his money or his washing powder: the bank will not accept the bill in either case. What to do?

If the list of signs of payment Belarusian ruble states the National Bank, then in the case of foreign currency, banks develop it independently, taking as a basis the characteristics adopted by the banks issuing foreign currency. However, Belarusian banks that have purchased foreign currency export it to a foreign correspondent bank and, when developing a list of payment criteria, take into account its requirements as well. That is why one bank may accept a dubious foreign banknote without question, but another will not accept it at all.

There are two ways to get rid of damaged foreign banknotes: by handing it over either for replacement or for collection at the bank. If there is no doubt about the validity of the banknote, but it is slightly worn out, damaged or will soon be withdrawn from circulation by the issuing bank, it will be replaced with another banknote in the same currency. Banknotes that raise doubts about their validity are accepted for collection. Both services are paid, a certain percentage of the amount is charged.

Victoria did just that - she handed over both bills, paying a commission of $1 on each. She has no claims against Belarusbank. Nevertheless, the invisible mold that can settle on savings instills uncertainty in the girl:

- If the affected bills were on a large sum, I would lose more on the exchange of non-payment banknotes than I earned on interest on the deposit.

Gluttonous microorganisms that have settled on hard-earned money will ruin anyone’s mood. Fortunately, you can minimize the risk of them occurring. If money is kept at home, you need to monitor the humidity and ventilation in the room. If the banknotes issued by the bank are in doubt, you should replace them immediately upon receiving cash. The rule “Count your money without leaving the cash register” has not yet been canceled.