# Can the police tell how much money is in your car? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582 "2006-12-10T17:30:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![justchecking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71e660/32.png) [@justchecking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justchecking)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/1 "2006-12-10T17:30:15Z")
My husband swears he was pulled over and held for questioning last night because he had too many large bills in the car and the police can tell. He claims the thread you see running thru the bill is decetable from a cop car driving past. I’m pretty sure he’s full of it, but on the off chance he’s right, I thought I’d ask. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/2 "2006-12-10T17:35:05Z")
I’d love to hear more details on this story. Was all of this money in his wallet? Did he end up getting a ticket? Did the cops say that he was pulled over for having 23 hundred dollar bills in his possession? To answer your question, there is nothing in the security strip that can be detected remotely. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/3 "2006-12-10T17:35:05Z")
It wasn’t the threads in the bills, it was his foil hat they detected. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/4 "2006-12-10T17:35:57Z")
No, he’s full of it. This is possibly one of the most widely spread currency myths, but there’s simply no truth to it. ---
**Author:** ![justchecking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71e660/32.png) [@justchecking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justchecking)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/5 "2006-12-10T17:39:50Z")
[QUOTE=hajario] I’d love to hear more details on this story. Was all of this money in his wallet? Did he end up getting a ticket? Did the cops say that he was pulled over for having 23 hundred dollar bills in his possession? To answer your question, there is nothing in the security strip that can be detected remotely. [/QUOTE] He’s a resturant manager, he was making the nightly deposit. It was in the depoist bag. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/6 "2006-12-10T17:44:08Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] No, he’s full of it. This is possibly one of the most widely spread currency myths, but there’s simply no truth to it. [/QUOTE] But it’s such a _nice_ story **Q.E.D.**! Here’s a link to one version (with pictures): [RFID Tags in New US Notes Explode When You Try to Microwave Them](http://www.prisonplanet.com/022904rfidtagsexplode.html) ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/7 "2006-12-10T17:48:35Z")
The police knew what job your husband had, and were pulling his leg? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/8 "2006-12-10T18:35:07Z")
Did they put a colander on his head wired to a photocopier? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/9 "2006-12-10T18:38:20Z")
But are there RFID tags in any US or European currency, explosive or otherwise? ---
**Author:** ![justchecking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71e660/32.png) [@justchecking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justchecking)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/10 "2006-12-10T18:40:25Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Did they put a colander on his head wired to a photocopier? [/QUOTE] Probabaly. Like I said, I’m pretty sure he’s full of it. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/11 "2006-12-10T18:42:41Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] But are there RFID tags in any US or European currency, explosive or otherwise? [/QUOTE] Any thin strip of metal will heat up extremely quickly in a microwave. There’s no need to burn money to prove it. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/12 "2006-12-10T18:44:43Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] But are there RFID tags in any US or European currency, explosive or otherwise? [/QUOTE] No, there aren’t RFID tags in any currency, just the ordinary anti-counterfeiting metal strip. Also, I appear to have the reading skills of a monkey. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/13 "2006-12-10T18:46:43Z")
It’s not even a metal strip, it’s polyester. When Officer Friendly saw the deposit bag, then he knew there was a large amount of cash in the car, though. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/14 "2006-12-10T18:51:34Z")
[QUOTE=justchecking] My husband swears he was pulled over and held for questioning last night because he had too many large bills in the car and the police can tell. [/QUOTE] Boy. I’ve never used that excuse before. Thanks for the tip. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/15 "2006-12-10T18:57:15Z")
Did he smell of perfume and/or did his collar have lipstick on it? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/16 "2006-12-10T18:59:42Z")
And, the obligatory **snopes** links: > **[Strip in U.S. Banknote](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cache-point/)** > > Does the plastic strip embedded in U.S. currency enable the government to track it? > **[WalMart Using RFID Tagging](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chip-shot-4/)** > > Is Wal-Mart trying out products embedded with RFID tracking chips? > **[Homeless Implanted with RFID Chips?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/homeless-in-the-range/)** > > Rumor: The government is planning to track the homeless by implanting them with RFID chips. > **[Mondex Biochips](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mondex/)** > > Is Mondex planning to replace money with biochips embedded in people's heads and hands? ---
**Author:** ![Mapache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@Mapache](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mapache)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/17 "2006-12-10T19:43:22Z")
There seems to be something in US currency that is detectable somehow, because cash sent to Mexico is always stolen, no matter how well it is wrapped. I have received a letter in a large envelope along with a thick wad of papers, with a twenty dollar bill (sent by my sister as a birthday present to my daughter) that was in a smaller sealed envelope with a birthday card. Big envelope was still sealed, little envelope sealed, card intact, and no money. Don’t have any idea how they do it, but they do. Checks also commonly disappear. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/18 "2006-12-10T19:52:45Z")
[QUOTE=Mapache] Checks also commonly disappear. [/QUOTE] So, you’re saying there is something in _checks_ also that can be detected? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/19 "2006-12-10T19:55:55Z")
Maybe you misunderstood, and your husband really had several big, suspicious-looking friends named Bill riding with him. ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582/20 "2006-12-10T19:56:19Z")
I call it ‘open, search, and reseal.’ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-police-tell-how-much-money-is-in-your-car/383582.md?page=2)