Forgery. Loan fraud. Counterfeiting consequences and penalties are harsh. Six bad money habits.

Signing Someone Else's Name on a Check - Signing someone else's name on a check is generally considered forgery and would be illegal in most states. But suppose an adult child signs an elderly parent's name because the parent is incapacitated or a parent signs a child's name because the child is away at college. Guess what? Those signatures are still forgeries, unless a power of attorney is in effect.

Using Someone Else's Identity to Obtain Credit - The use of someone else's name and identity to obtain credit is an obvious no-no.

Lying on a Home Loan Application - Homebuyers and homeowners who want to refinance may be tempted to inflate their income or hide some of their debts to better their chances of a "yes" from the lender. But lying on a loan application is fraud, and lenders do check up on applicants' information, according to Kaplan.

Writing 'Bad' Checks - Many banks offer overdraft protection that kicks in if you write a check for more than the balance of your account. But writing a check that you know is no good is illegal.

Copying U.S. Currency - Color printers, scanners and copiers make it surprisingly easy for just about anyone to replicate U.S. or foreign currency. But it is, in fact, illegal to print your own money and try to spend it to buy goods or services.

Defacing U.S. Currency - Accidental damage to currency normally isn't illegal, deliberate defacement is. Federal law prohibits any action that mutilates, cuts, defaces, perforates or glues together U.S. currency or otherwise renders bills unusable.